Regrets
by Patchcat
Summary: Fate is not always kind, but sometimes missed chances can be regained. When this happens, wise is he who takes a chance, and reaches out to grasp it firmly in both clawed hands. Rated for Inuyasha's thoughts
1. Losing Her

**Disclaimer:**  I do no own _Inuyasha nor any characters related to him.  That honor and privilege belong to Rumiko Takahashi.  I am, however, the master of my own Fate and keeper of my own Destiny.  We should all be so fortunate._

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Regrets

Chapter one: Losing Her

    Regret is a basic human emotion.  It teaches us to take chances, and to cherish those moments that we hope will last forever.  It also teaches us humility and, sometimes, strengthens us for the path ahead.  Missed chances, things left unsaid, issues unresolved; these are the tools of regret.  Fate is not always kind, but sometimes missed chances _can _be regained.  When this happens, wise is he who takes a chance, and reaches out to grasp it firmly in both clawed hands.

Inuyasha's POV

    It's been a year.  A year since the Jewel was completed and our journey ended.  A year since my heart slipped through my claws, jumped in the well, and never returned; a year full of loneliness and pain, a year of deep sorrow and soul-shattering regret.  They say that regret is a human emotion.  They have said the same about love.  Yet, even though I am neither, I fell them both; feel them strongly.  I feel them so strongly, in fact that those two emotions drown out everything else in my life. 

    Indecisiveness is also a Human feeling, and it was my own indecisiveness that drove the wedge between us, even if I didn't notice at the time.  It was still my inability to make a clear choice, the almost overpowering need to not be hurt again, that caused me to hurt the one most precious to me; Kagome.  I guess that side of my nature, that Human side that I hated so much, will always show through-when I think of her.  And that's okay.  _She taught me that. _

   My life no longer holds the meaning that it used to.  Fights are only for survival.  Survival of me, my companions, and the village we settled in and agreed to protect.  I no longer have the heart to go in search of the battles that used to heat my blood and send my heart racing.  My brother no longer pursues me for our father's sword.  When last we met, he called me pathetic and weak.  He said that it wasn't worth his time to fight someone with no spirit.  Oddly, it didn't bother me as it once would have.  I no longer have anyone to be strong for and protect, so what was the point.  If it would have brought her back, I would have given him want he wanted, but it won't.  She is gone, and it is entirely my fault!

   How could I have let this happen?!  How could I let the one person who means more to me than life itself slip away?!  If anyone ever tells you that regret is a sweet emotion, they are very wrong.  It's bitter-a bitter so harsh that the taste and smell of it drive you to distraction forever.

     I remember vividly the day she left us.  We were fighting again, her and me.  Well, sort of, for this was unlike any fight we had ever had; except maybe for when I told her that I had chosen Kikyo.  Truthfully, though, it was my fault we were fighting.  _Damn my stubborn pride and arrogance!  If I had left well enough alone, if I had had the guts to tell her what was in my heart, she probably would never have left us…Never have left _me_._

~Flashback-The Day She Left~

   "Please, don't," she said simply.  There were so many emotions in those deep brown eyes that, at the time, I couldn't put a name to.  Looking back I realize, they were emotions that I shared; I was just too damn stubborn to admit it.  There was pain there, and sorrow.  Pain and sorrow for what had been and what she thought would never be; but also a muted joy for a quest fulfilled and, I realize now, an unflinching love for the one most unworthy of her.

   "Please, Inuyasha.  Don't go to her."

   "I have to, Kagome.  Damn it, you know that, and you know my reasons," I snapped at her.  I remember thinking how tired I was of this argument.  We'd been having it a lot lately- ever since we defeated Naraku, in fact.  "I promised her that I would see that she found peace.  I have to, even if it means going with her to Hell."

   "But, I…," she trailed off.  She had something on her mind, I could tell.  I wish now that she had voiced what she was thinking.  I guess now I'll never know what was going through that wench's head.

    "…_I need you."  She said that last so softly that I would never have heard her if I were Human.  I didn't answer her.  She knew how good my ears were and it was pretty obvious to me that I wasn't meant to hear her last admission. _

    I wasn't prepared for what happened next.  I should have been, but I wasn't.  None of us were. 

   "Fine," she said, as though she had come to some sort of decision.  Had I known what she was thinking, I would have stopped her.  That is yet another regret to add to the rather lengthy list.  "If you want to throw away the rest of your life, who am I to stop you?  It's obvious that _she is the only one that you care about!  I was a fool to think…" she stopped whatever she was going to say, a sob in her voice.  I was too stunned to wonder at it as she continued.  "Go!  Go and find Kikyo!  Go to Hell with her, for all I care!"  She was screaming by this time and tears flowed unnoticed down her face.  I really hated it when she cried.  "Just know, Inuyasha that I will not be here to see it!  I'm going home, and this time I won't be coming back!" _

     Before I could react to her tirade, she had grabbed her bag and all but flew down the trail that led to the well.  As I stood there, stunned and unable to summon the thought to go after her, the rest of our wayward band came out of Kaede's hut.  They heard the whole thing.  They couldn't help but hear it; we had been standing in front of the hut.  They were as shocked as I was; even the kit was silent.  Then the voice of reason, in the form of the monk, broke me out of my shock.

   "Inuyasha!  Are you not going after Lady Kagome?  I think she meant it this time; I would not care to think that your last words to each other were said in anger."

  _Last words...?  What?  Oh, shit!  She … She was serious.  She meant it.  I can't let her go without telling her…Without telling her that…  That I…_

   With these thoughts still ringing in my head, I took off after her.  She had a pretty good heads start, but I ain't half-demon for nothin'.  I caught her as she was about to jump into the well.  I mean that literally.  I reached down and caught her pack as she cleared the top.  I pulled her out; and said to her what she had said to me, hoping that these words would make her think, "Please, don't."  

   Big mistake.

    "_Put!  Me!  Down!"  She was angry.  _Very _angry.  "I told you.  I'm going and you can't stop me."_

    She was right, of course.  It only took one word and I would be eating dirt.  I used to hate it, but she didn't say it that much anymore.  Lately, though, when she did say the word, I deserved it.  Usually. 

      Her voice and expression softened, "Please, Inuyasha.  Don't make this harder than it already is.  I-I'm letting you go.  Please, do the same for me."

   I couldn't believe what I was hearing and all of a sudden, it made _me very angry.  Here I was, trying to stop her and tell her how I felt; and she was letting me go.  I couldn't believe the bitch.  So I dropped her on her ass beside the well.  "Fine, then.  Go.  I won't stop you."  __You obviously don't feel the same way I do.  And I turned my back on the best thing that had ever happened to me._

   I heard her sob and when I turned to look, to comfort her-stop her, she was gone.  The last thing I heard was "I loved you, Inuyasha."

   _What!  Did she just say…?  "Kaggoommee!"_

  It felt like my heart had broken into a million pieces.  I jumped in to follow her-it had always worked before.  But instead of the black/blue/purple glow that always heralded the transit, there was nothing.  Absolutely nothing, and I landed on my ass at the bottom of the Bone-Eater's Well.

   It hit me then that she hadn't been home since the Jewel was completed.  Did she know this would happen?  Had she been waiting for me to decide between her and Kikyo?  I didn't know and now I never would, because it was obvious that the well no longer worked for me.  

   I spent that night in the God's Tree, the place where we met, the place where this raven haired wonder had changed my life forever.  That night, for the first time in a long time, the tears flowed freely and I howled my loss and despair to the moon and the silent, uncaring forest.

~End Flashback~

   I think it would please her to know that Kikyo was laid to rest by my hand.  She came to me shortly after Kagome left and tried to take me to Hell.  Tried.  You see, I'd been thinking a lot about what Kagome _didn't _say; things that we both knew, but didn't speak of anymore, because they were too painful.  I finally figured out that the one I should have been with was the one who had promised to never leave me; a promise she had kept faithfully until I drove her away.  And that one sure as _Hell_ wasn't Kikyo.  

    I was in the forest the night she came to take me.  Not far from the well, in fact.  I had gone there every day since Kagome left in the vain hope that she would be there, lugging that stupid bag of hers.  I knew it was foolish; whatever magic the well possessed was gone and didn't seem to be coming back.  You can't blame a guy for wishing, though.  

    A broken heart is a terrible thing.  It does things to your mind.  It makes ridiculous things seem rational and it can make the strongest among us weaker than a new born babe.

   I knew that Kikyo was coming; I had seen the glow from her Soul-Gatherers, so I waited there by the tree she sealed me to so long ago.  And sure enough, she came.  I didn't know exactly what I was going to do or say, but I knew that she wasn't going to like it.  One thing was for sure, I wasn't going to Hell with her.  

    "It is time to go to Hell, Inuyasha.  You have defeated Naraku and completed the Jewel.  Now fulfill your last promise and come with me." 

    I looked at her for a few moments without answering.  I guess that was when it really hit me just how much Kikyo had changed, and just what my relationship with her really was.  Obligation.  That's all it really was.  Obligation and guilt.  I had called her back to this world, even though she had begged me not to.  I was obligated to see that she found peace, or at the very least, to see that her soul could finally rest.

   "No.  My responsibility ends here.  It's time that you listened to what I have to say."

   Then I told her that I was in love with another; and that I was sorry.  Sorry for all the pain that I had caused her.  Sorry that it was my action, my voice, that called out and brought her back to a world she had left behind.  Sorry that, in the end, it was myself that I could no longer protect her from; even though I had promised that protection always.  

   I held her close to me one last time and noticed again that she held no warmth.  This was no longer the Kikyo that I had fallen in love with, no longer the kindred spirit that I had been drawn to all those years ago.  Maybe being around Kagome and her loving, carefree spirit had changed me, Healed the wounds that had been inflicted by loneliness and loss.  Kikyo had never been able to do that.  Maybe if we had had more time together-I don't know, and I never will.  All of these thoughts chased themselves through my mind as I held her.  I pulled back and met her emotionless gaze for the last time and then I put my hand through her chest and pulled out what served as her heart, crushing it.  I watched as her body crumbled back to the bone and ashes from which it had been made and shed a silent tear for what might have been.  On the wind, I thought I heard a whispered "I forgive you", but I can't be sure.  I stood there for a long time and just stared at the spot where she had been, then bent and collected her ashes and bones.  Kaede would want them, I was sure.  Perhaps this time we could scatter them in the river.  I'm sure she would have wanted it that way. 

   Since then, I have continued to come here, to the clearing that holds the Bone-Eater's well, in the vain hope to catch again that beloved scent that had been so much a part of me for so long.  I have never laid the blame for my situation on anyone but myself.  Many would raise their hands to Heaven and rail at the cruelty of God; or curse Fate for bringing them to this pass, for allowing their decisions to go unchecked.  But I don't.  No, that fault belongs to me and me alone.  She would be beside me still if I hadn't driven her away; if I hadn't been so stubborn and blind.  And so, every day I come here, hoping that Fate will take pity and be kind to an unworthy half-breed; hoping that the well will reopen and bring back to me my heart, the other half of my soul; my Kagome. 

A/N: This is my first attempt at fan fiction.  I hope that you enjoyed it.  Please, let me know what you think.  If I get enough reviews, I'll post the next chapter.  Thank you.  Patch

Revised and Edited – 8/10/03


	2. Leaving Him

Disclaimer: I do not own _Inuyasha _or any characters related to him.  That honor and privilege belong to the talented Rumiko Takahashi.  I am, however, the master of my own Fate and keeper of my own Destiny.  We should all be so fortunate.

Regrets

Chapter Two-Leaving Him

Kagome's POV

   This year has passed so slowly.  Everything is different now.  Nothing has been the same since that day.  School just doesn't seem as important to me, but I still go, even if I don't know why.  I mean, what's the point.  I have been on a quest to save the world as we know it and succeeded.  I have known a love so pure that it could put Romeo and Juliet to shame.  And I have had my heart and soul broken by my own stubborn pride.

    My friends no longer ask about that two-timing boy I had a thing for.  Hojo doesn't ask me out anymore, and the other boys leave me pretty much alone.  My friends say it's because they don't know how to take a girl who's always down.  They can't figure out how to talk to a girl who always seems to look right through them, as if she sees another time and place.  If only they knew…

   They don't understand.  How could they.  They have never known what I've known; never found the one person they would give their life for.  None of them ever shared a life altering adventure with the one being willing to sacrifice himself for them, even if, in the end, he went back to his former love.  They have never had their heart and soul shattered into a million uncollectible pieces, all for the sake of the other's happiness.  I envy them their unknowing. 

    Looking back on my memories, I realize that I am as much to blame for all of this as he is.  There were so many times when I could have fought for his affection… and all I did was run away, like the coward she called me.  I should never have left him.  I should have stayed and found some way to prove to him that life was the better choice, that _I was the better choice.  All that I have now are memories, memories that haunt my nights and follow me throughout my days._

    As I walk along, headed home from school, I look up as the cherry blossoms fall-and I remember.  I remember his eyes, his infrequent smiles, his brusque voice, those adorable, irresistible ears, but most of all; I remember how much I love him.  Yes, even after all of this time, I still love him.  Not that I can ever tell him-and that is a regret that will live in my heart until the end of time.  The well doesn't work anymore.  It hasn't since the day that I left the Feudal Era for the last time.  I remember that day, and every time I think about it, I wonder if I made the right decision.  I wonder if we could have worked things out; maybe he hadn't chosen Kikyo.  Now I'll never know.  They say that the cherry blossoms bring back memories; as they fall around me, I remember…

~Flashback-The Day I Left~

"Please, don't," I begged him.  I couldn't let the one person who had become my entire world go and throw his life away.  I loved him too much.  I wanted him to think about what he was going to do.  Selfishly, I wanted him to choose to stay with me.  I wanted him to choose life.  "Please, Inuyasha, don't go to her." 

    I knew that he had his reasons.  We had been through them a lot since the Jewel was completed, and I could tell he was getting tired if this argument.  He may question his love for her, but it was a matter of honor with him to see that he kept his word.  Maybe that's why I didn't fight as hard as I could, because he did have doubts.  Maybe I thought that he could make this choice on his own. 

   "I have to, Kagome.  Damn it, you know that, and you know my reasons."  He snapped at me.  He snapped!  At me!  Like it was all _my fault that he would rather chase after a dead woman than talk to me about our possible future; although that was a subject that he had been avoiding, as though he didn't __want me to stay.  Maybe he didn't.  After all, I was just a substitute for his former love-a substitute for Kikyo; a shard detector.  And now that the shards were all found, what use did he have for me._

   "I promised her that I would see that she found peace.  I have to, even if it means going with her to Hell."  He said that with such conviction that it hit me like a hammer, cracking my already wounded heart.  It was then that I realized, he _had made his choice… and it wasn't me._

   "But, I…"  I trailed off.  I couldn't tell him, not now.  Not knowing that he didn't love me.

    "…_I need you," I finished softly; softly enough that, hopefully, he didn't hear me.  With his hearing though, you never could tell what he heard and what he didn't.  I sometimes think he ignored a lot of things.  I guess, though that this time he _didn't_ hear me, because he didn't answer.  He just stood there with his back to me, looking out into the forest as though he couldn't wait to leave and go find _her_._

   It was then that I made _my_ decision.  If he didn't want me around, then I would go.  It shattered my heart to think that he would prefer to go to Hell with her, rather than stay in this world with me; but if that made him happy then so be it.  After all, it was his happiness that mattered most.  Wasn't it?

   "Fine," I said.  "If you want to throw away the rest of your life, who am I to stop you?  It's obvious that _she _is the only one that you care about!  I was a fool to think…"  I stopped, sobbing.  I couldn't finish that sentence out loud, but that didn't stop it from completing itself in my mind.  _That you could ever love me the way I love you.  _"Go!  Go and find Kikyo!  Go to Hell with her, for all I care!"  I was screaming by now and I couldn't stop the tears that ran down my cheeks, but I didn't care.  I wanted him to understand, and I knew that he wouldn't try. 

    That hurt me - and I wanted to hurt him.  It was a terrible thing to feel, unworthy of the feelings I held for him, but, at that moment, my heart was breaking and I wanted him to feel my pain; yet another thing to add to the long list of regrets.

  "Just know, Inuyasha that I will not be here to see it.  I'm going home, and this time I will _not _return!"  With that said, I turned on my heel, picked up my bag-and ran.  I ran down the path to the well, fully expecting to hear his footsteps behind me.  I knew that he could catch up to me easily, but I hoped that I had confused him enough that I could make it to the well and be gone before he could catch me.

  I hadn't used the well since Naraku's defeat; hadn't been home since the Jewel was completed.  I didn't even know if it would work anymore.  I still had the Jewel; Inuyasha hadn't asked for it and I hadn't mentioned it to him.  Hopefully, the well would send me home this one last time.  Hopefully.

   It hurt that I hadn't said goodbye to my friends.  I would never see them again.  Shippo, who was like a son to me; Sango, who had become the sister I never had; and Miroku, who, even though he was a pervert, was like an older brother to me.  Even old Kaede, my mentor, the grandmother I hadn't had in a long time.  I hadn't said goodbye to any of them - and I regret that now.  

   The worst thing was that my last words to the man I loved had been words of anger; words meant to hurt.  That is a pain I will bear until I draw my last breath.  It is a hole in my heart that will never heal.

   I had reached the well.  Out of reflex, I looked around, searching for the familiar red and silver figure that could stop me from leaving.  Honestly, I had hoped that he would try to stop me.  I didn't see him, so I threw my legs over the side and jumped in…only to stop, dangling in midair.  I looked up and _almost smiled.  He had come.  He was going to stop me.  I had been wrong; he did have feelings for me._

   But then, I realized; it was only out of habit.  I run.  He chases me.  We meet at the well, argue without really solving anything, I "Sit" him a few times and then jump in, sometimes he followed.  That was our pattern; how it always went, but I was tired of it.  I started to tell him just that when I heard him softly say to me what I had said to him -"Please, don't."

   That made me angry.  _Very angry.  Irrationally angry.  Here I had tried to stand by him all this time, following him when most wouldn't have.  I had loved him when it was obvious to everyone that he didn't love me; accepted him as no one else ever had before.  And he thought that I would stay with just those two words; two words that _I _had used to try to get him to think.  I might have stayed, if he had continued.  If he had said that he loved me - that he wasn't going to go and find her.  I would have thrown myself into his arms and never left, never let go.  But he didn't.  He just looked at me with those beautiful golden eyes, and didn't say a word._

  "_Put!  Me!  Down!  I told you, I'm going and you can't stop me."  It was true, it only took one word.  I would never admit it to him, but I didn't like to say it very often.  You shouldn't hurt the one you love._

    I tried to stay angry, but I could feel my expression soften as I looked into those eyes.  "Please, Inuyasha, don't make this any harder than it already is.  I-I'm letting you go.  Please, do the same for me."  

   I could see the hurt in his eyes and the pain.  Hurt and pain that I had put there.  That hurt was transferred into action when he dropped me onto the ground by the well.  "Fine, then.  Go.  I won't stop you."  Then he turned his back on me and I felt my whole world crumble to dust. 

    I stood up and reached out to him.  It was a useless gesture, but I made it anyway.  Then I turned, sobbing, and jumped into the well.  As the spell swirled around me, I uttered the last words that I would ever say to him, words that I hadn't had the guts to say to his face, "I loved you, Inuyasha."

   I found myself back in the well house on the shrine grounds.  I don't know how long I sat at the bottom of the well, crying my heart out.  When I finally realized where I was, I pulled myself out of the well and ran into the house and up to my room.  I dropped my bag on the floor and threw myself on my bed - and I couldn't stop crying.  I cried because my heart was broken and my soul felt like it had been shredded by the claws of the very person I wanted most to forget.  The one I wanted most to love me, who never would.  My mother came in and tried to console me, but not even her kind words could soothe the ache in my heart, the pain in my soul.  The love of my life did not love me and I would never be the same again.

~End Flashback~

   It was several days before I finally stopped crying enough to even come downstairs and face my family.  It took several more before I could tell them what had happened.  I think that Souta took it the hardest of them.  Inuyasha was his hero, after all.  I didn't go back to school for a few more weeks and this time I really was sick.  Although, I don't think they consider being heartsick a valid excuse.

     I realize now, with the wisdom imparted by hindsight, that I probably should have stayed and tried to talk to him; tried to work things out.  He had come to the well for a reason.  It's only now that I realize it wasn't habit that made him chase me.  There was so much that hadn't been said.  So much that should have been said, even if it hurt to say it.

    I wonder sometimes what he is doing now, if he thinks about me at all.  Every day I go to the well house and spend hours thinking about him as the world goes on around me.  Somehow I feel closer to him when I'm there, as though he were just out of reach. 

    I know what you're thinking.  You're thinking that I should use the Jewel and wish to be with him.  I can't.  That wish was promised to him.  You see, I have my honor, too.   

   Damn stubborn pride.  I guess a broken heart can do that.  Make you crazy with grief.  Let you make stupid mistakes.  Mistakes you can't change your mind about. 

   I've thought about trying to find him in this time, but I'm not sure which would be worse…Finding out that he didn't survive this long or finding out that he did and he didn't want to see me.  After all, he knows where the shrine is and could find me easily enough.  In either case, I don't think my heart could take it.

   I often wonder, as I stare into the well and remember; if he's happy.  If he found what he was looking for when he found Kikyo.  I hope so; for his sake, I hope so.  I hope that Fate will bring him joy; my heart, the other half of my soul, my Inuyasha.

Revised and edited – 8/11/03


	3. Fate Steps In

Disclaimer: I do not own _Inuyasha _or any characters related to him.  That honor and privilege belongs to the talented Rumiko Takahashi.  I am, however, the master of my own Fate and the keeper of my own Destiny.  We should all be so fortunate. 

Regrets

Chapter Three-Fate Steps In

    It was a beautiful spring morning in Feudal Japan.  The weather was fair, the birds were singing, and the cherry trees were in full bloom.  Unfortunately, that just brought back the memories of what he wanted most to forget.  Cherry blossoms had been her favorite.  It was also the one smell he associated most with _her_.  That scent only made the pain worse; he would never get her out of his mind and he didn't ever want to.

     From his perch in the God's Tree, Inuyasha stared up at the clear blue sky and tried to make the pain go away.  It didn't work any better today than it did any other day, and the days would only get longer; after all, five hundred years was a long time.  He would wait that long if he had to, even if the thought of all that time alone depressed him immensely.  

    He wished that the day matched his mood; wished that it was dark and dreary, but it didn't look like anybody up there was listening to him.  Maybe a run would help clear his mind, help mute his pain.  Maybe physical exhaustion would help take away some of the sting of loss.  It had been a year, but the wounds to his soul were still as fresh as the day she left.  He hoped that time would at least dull some of the pain.  Inuyasha knew, though, that it would never leave him completely; not until he found her again and held her close, never to let go.

    His friends worried about him more than a little.  He knew that they meant well and only had his best interests in mind, but he wished that they would just leave him be.  Inuyasha knew better, though.  They would pester him if he didn't put in some kind of appearance, so he decided that he would return to the village later and see if they needed anything before he took his daily trip to the well.  But first, he would run and feel the wind in his hair and the ground beneath his feet, and try to think of anything but what he had lost and the years still between them..

~A Little Later, In the Village~

    It was a fair afternoon, and Shippo was restless.  He wanted to be _doing something.  It was just one of those sort of days.  It almost made him wish that a demon would attack so that he could get a little exercise.  _

    He had grown up a lot in the last year.  After the realization set in that Kagome wasn't coming back and there was nothing he could do about it, he started to learn everything he could to survive without her.  He tried his best to help Inuyasha and the others protect the village.  He had actually gotten pretty good, even if most of his strength lay in illusion.  It was amazing how a well-timed illusion could distract an enemy until Inuyasha or Sango could take care of it.

  He smiled as he remembered the first time he had been a real help.  Sango and Miroku had made such a big deal of him.  They had talked about how good he had gotten the whole way back to the village.  The two couldn't stop praising him.  Inuyasha had just grunted and walked away.  But that was like him - at least, that was like him now. 

   His friends all worried about him.  Since Kagome left, Inuyasha had changed, and it wasn't for the better.  He had withdrawn into himself and barely spoke to anyone.  When he did speak, it was usually in a low voice that held none of his old fire and passion.  He didn't even _yell anymore, for goodness sakes.  It was as if his heart had gone with Kagome; he just hadn't been the same._

   Even his enemies noticed.  Sesshomaru didn't even try to steal the Fang anymore.  The last time he tried, he told Inuyasha that it wasn't worth his time to fight a weak and pathetic opponent.  Inuyasha hadn't even growled at that, and that frightened his friends more than anything else.  Oh, he still protected the village, but he didn't go looking for fights anymore and they were all afraid that one day he would just give up and let another demon get the best of him.

   Shippo sighed.  It was time they woke Inuyasha up.  Everyone else had accepted it and moved on, it was time he did, too.  She was gone and they couldn't get her back.  Sure they still missed her terribly, but they had moved on.  Even the sting of not saying goodbye had faded with time-time and a lot of tears.  Yes, it was definitely time to shake the half-breed out of his depression.  Shippo went in search of the one person who might be able to help him, the monk, Miroku.  

   Walking through the village, he saw Sango teaching a group of young people the ways of the demon exterminator.  She still went out and plied her trade, but she had decided that she needed to pass on her skills.  So she taught them to anyone who wanted to learn.  He stopped and waited for her to sense him.  It was never a good idea to interrupt one of her training sessions; he had learned that the hard way, he had become an impromptu lesson in "how to sense a demon from behind and disable it".  It was not an experience he cared to repeat.  After a few moments, she dismissed her students and walked over to him.

   "Hello, Shippo.  How are you today?" she asked him with a smile.

   "I came to see if you knew where your mate was," he answered.  "I thought that he might be able to help me."

   "What do you need help with?  Maybe it's something I can do," Sango said questioningly, cocking her head at him.  

   "I'm not sure.  It's just that I thought he might be able to help me with Inuyasha.  I thought that maybe we could help him get over…" he trailed off.  He wasn't sure if Sango would approve.  

   "You want to help him get over Lady Kagome," stated a deep voice behind them.  Miroku had come up on them without their noticing.  "I'm not sure if he ever will, Shippo, but you can always try."

   "I'm not sure that he should.  Hasn't Inuyasha been hurt enough?"  Sango said quietly.  Of all of them, she understood the best.  She had lost so many who meant as much to her as Kagome meant to Inuyasha.  She knew what it felt like to have a broken heart.  Of course, she still had Miroku…

   "Your damn right I've been hurt enough!" said an angry voice quietly.  Inuyasha had come upon them unnoticed.  They had become so accustomed to his aura around the village that they hardly flinched when he was around.  "Please, just leave me alone."  He didn't raise his voice, didn't really seem to have the heart for it.

   "Inuyasha, we worry about you.  We're your friends.  We just want to see you happy," Shippo told him plaintively.

   "Unless you know some way to bring her back, or make the years between us disappear; that will _never happen.  Please, just let it go and leave me in as much peace as I can find."  He turned and headed into his forest, leaving his friends to stare worriedly after him.  They didn't follow him, for they had learned long ago that it did no good.  He would just take to the trees and they had no way to bring him down._

_   I'm sorry everyone.  I know that you mean well.  I just can't deal with your interference right now, no matter how well-intentioned.  I'm going to the well.  At least there I feel closer to what I lost.  At least there I don't have to look at you all and remember that, if not for her, I would never have met any of you.  It is the closest to peace that I will feel for a long time and I thank you for leaving me to it...   _

  He ran into the forest, heading for the well.  He did not know that he was being watched; that he had been since before Kikyo.  She had watched him grow close to Kikyo; watched as Naraku turned them against each other.  She had watched all that happened before and after Kagome came through the well.  She had watched as Inuyasha and Kagome drew closer.  She watched them struggle with themselves and each other and she watched as he pushed Kagome away and both hearts were broken.  

   This is not how she had intended their story to end, not by any means.  The girl's soul had been brought back for a purpose.  Kagome was to complete the task her previous incarnation had been unable to complete.  She was to right the wrongs that had been done and heal the half-breed's heart.  Fate did not waste energy on reincarnations.  Especially when the reincarnate came back to complete a task out of their own time!

  They almost made it, the young girl and the half-breed.  The Jewel was complete, although it was not completely purified; the young priestess' sorrow made it slightly impure.  It was the Fates' design that the Jewel be broken, and these two souls come together to retrieve the fragments and defeat the ultimate evil.  Even the resurrected priestess had been considered in their designs.  However, she was supposed to stay dead.  The fall from the cliff should have destroyed her shell and released her soul.  

    But Chaos reared Its ugly head and disrupted all the carefully laid plans that Fate had laid for the pair.  The priestess survived and caused a rift between them.  The half-breed's uncertainty and the young woman's forgiving nature almost drove them completely apart, even though they were made for each other.

    That was what brought her here, these two beings that loved each other so very much, yet were still separated by time and stubbornness.  Hopefully, she would be able to fix the mess the two had created for themselves.  Sometimes she cursed the free will that Humans and Demons alike had been given at the beginning of time.  She knew there was a reason for it, but still…

   She'd given him a year to think about life without his love, and had decided that he had suffered enough.  That he was brave enough to suffer the intervening years alone encouraged her to give him a break; one of few that they had given him in his life.  Yes, he had proven that he had courage to spare, but he would need all the courage he had ever shown in order to change both their Destinies and reunite the two halves of their souls.  He would have to convince her _and_ her sisters that he was ready to change the situation he found himself in, ready to reclaim the love for which he was destined.  

   It helped that he did not curse Fate that he had lost her.  Himself, yes; Fate, no.  It also helped that all the three sisters knew with relative certainty where both hearts lay, although Fate needed the two lovers to realize the bond between them.  Hopefully the trials ahead would open both of their eyes and bring peace to their hearts.

   She watched as Inuyasha came to the well and looked into it.  She knew what he hoped to find.  She also knew that she was not yet ready to let him find it, although that was within her power.  He had to convince her first that he was ready.  Ready to accept the depth of Kagome's love and open his own heart.

 "Kagome, my heart, the lost part of my soul; I would give anything to have you back with me," Inuyasha said sadly as he stared into the empty well.  He sniffed the air; it was a useless gesture, but it was one he made every time he came here.  She had been gone for so long that no trace of her beloved scent lingered anywhere.

  "Would you truly give anything, Inuyasha?" said a woman's strange, otherworldly voice that seemed to come from nowhere, yet everywhere at once.  Inuyasha dropped into a defensive crouch and scented the air again, every sense alive and alert.  There had been nothing unusual a moment ago, but that voice had definitely come from somewhere. 

  "What if I told you that all you had to do was convince me and my sisters that you are worthy of the love you were Fated for?  What if I told you that your love waits for you even now, on the other side of that well and mourns your loss as you mourn hers?  Would you be willing to attempt to reclaim that which you have lost?" the voice continued.

   "Who are you?  How do you know me?  Show yourself, damn you!" he growled.  

   The brush behind Inuyasha rustled and he turned to face the intruder; before him stood a hooded figure cloaked in silver.  Her attire shielded her figure completely; had she not spoken, he would never have guessed her gender.  No scent came from her and that bothered him more than his inability to discern any of her features.  There was an otherworldly quality about her that went beyond what he would normally sense from a demon.  _What the hell is she?  How does she know about Kagome?  For that matter, how the fuck does she know about **me**?  _The woman moved gracefully across the clearing and Inuyasha realized that she wasn't making a sound now; it was as though she could have hidden from him if she had truly wanted to.  It made him wonder just how long she had been watching him. __

    "I, Inuyasha, am one of the three Fates.  I have the power to grant your deepest desire or to end your existence.  My sisters and I weave the Tapestry of Life and we decide the outcome of all life, be it Human, Demon, or Half-breed.  I can let you have your love again.  But first, you must convince my sisters and me that you are worthy, and we are not easily swayed!"__

  
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A/N: Oooh, cliffie.  I hate them as much as the rest of you, but that was the natural end for this chapter.  At least it is if you know what I know…  Don't worry, you'll get more.  Next chapter_ Prove Yourself_.  It may not be out as fast, for I have acquired a day job and can no longer sit all day before my computer and type.  Don't worry, though.  I have every intention of finishing.  Just, please, be patient.  Thanks to all who reviewed!  Keep them coming!  Patch

Oh, yes.  Before you all start sending me flaming monkeys, yes, I know that Fate as I am describing it is a _Greek_ concept, not a Japanese one.  I do not know the Japanese equivalent or if there even is one.  I apologize for taking liberties, but, write what you know.  Right?  J

Revised and edited – 8/14/03

  As I'm sure some of you have noticed by now that I am revising this fan fic.  I think that my unhappiness with some of the things in it is what is causing my writer's block.  So, I'm fixing it.  Hopefully, I have improved it a little bit.  Let me know what you think.

Until we meet again, Patch.


	4. Prove Yourself

Disclaimer: I do not own _Inuyasha _or any characters related to him.  That honor and privilege belongs to the talented Rumiko Takahashi.  I am, however, the master of my own Fate and the keeper of my own Destiny.  We should all be so fortunate. 

~Previously~

    "I, Inuyasha, am one of the three Fates.  I have the power to grant your deepest desire or to end your existence.  My sisters and I weave the Tapestry of Life and we decide the outcome of all life, be it Human, Demon, or Half-breed.  I can let you have your love again.  But first, you must convince my sisters and me that you are worthy, and we are not easily swayed!"__

Regrets

Chapter Four-Prove Yourself

   Inuyasha just stared at this woman, this entity, who claimed to be able to grant his dearest wish.  Had she really said what he thought she said?!  And what was this about proving himself?  Just who the Hell did she think she was, anyway!  Was he supposed to believe that _this _was Fate?  _Yeah, right.  Like I'm gonna believe **that**! And yet, she didn't _smell _like a Demon, or a Human, for that matter.  For that matter, she didn't _smell _at all.  Maybe, just maybe, she was who she claimed to be.  _We'll see.  We'll see just who proves what to whom!  _He scowled angrily at the figure before him and snarled,"What do you mean-prove myself?  What is there to prove?  I love her and I always will!  Just who the Hell do you think you are, anyway!  Am I supposed to just take you at your word?  Not likely, Bitch!  I ain't some stupid demon who don't know his ass from a hole in the ground!  You're gonna hafta do a Hell of a lot better than just comin' here and expecting me to believe you without a fuckin' bit of proof!  Who are you really?  Who sent you?  Answer me, damn it!"  He advanced on her, his hand on the hilt of his sword, fully prepared to take her out if she didn't give him answers. _

   Inwardly, the Spinner smiled.  Perhaps it would not be as difficult as her sisters thought.  Sure he was a little rough; not to mention foul-mouthed, rude, and subject to temper tantrums, such as the one he was throwing now; but he had a good heart.  A little suspicion was to be expected.  After all, Inuyasha's very survival had been dependant on his mistrust of others and his refusal to take anyone at face value.  Kagome had slowly changed him with her gentleness and her complete faith in him.  A year without her, though, seemed to have brought some of his mistrust back in full force; although it did seem as if the half-breed had learned from this experience.  She hoped so.  Bound as they were, their very souls depended on it.

   Soul bonds were very rare.  The Fates did not allow them to come about very often but when they did, the two souls were always tested to their limits.  Forced to gain strength through trust and forgiveness, they had more than their fair share of emotional ups and downs.  But, in the end, these trials helped the bonded pair find strength, both in themselves and within the bond.  And that bond had to be strong, for there was usually a great Destiny in store for the pair.  These two were no exception, the Human girl and her half-breed.  But the forces of Chaos had interfered in their lives and Fate had miscalculated the effect such a thing would have on them.  If Fate couldn't fix this and rid them of Chaos' influence, a great many good deeds would be left undone and one of the world's greatest loves left unrealized.

  Fate turned and looked directly at the angry half-breed, "Very well, so you love her.  But you have hurt her terribly; wounded her heart almost beyond repair.  I have told you who I am.  You need not take just my word for it," she said coolly.  "Come, Inuyasha.  It is time for you to see what has become of your beloved.  See just how much your careless words and thoughtless actions hurt her, and what has become of her shattered heart."

  Before Inuyasha could think to answer, before he could even move to stop her or draw his weapon, the Spinner stepped forward and placed two fingers on his forehead.  The next thing he saw was a swirl of grey and then Kagome running out of the forest toward him, her backpack bouncing on her shoulder.  His heart clenched in his chest and his breath caught at the sight of her, his expression one of longing and grief, his anger fading.  He reached out as if to touch her.  Fate saw his gesture and shook her head.

  "These are shadows of the past, Inuyasha.  You can see and hear everything that happens, but you cannot interact with anything that you see," she told him.

   "Why are we here then?!" he exclaimed in anguish.  "If I cannot do anything to change…"  He was interrupted as Fate again slowly shook her head.

   "You are not here to change things.  That you must do if we decide you are worthy.  You are here to learn the depth of the damage you must undo.  What you see here is already woven and cannot be unraveled.  Now watch and listen.  Hear the thoughts you were not privy to when you both were broken."  Fate pointed back toward Kagome.

   And so, he watched and listened and finally realized why she had chosen as she had.  He realized that he had truly hurt her, more than he had thought, by not telling her how he felt.  _She honestly thought that I was only chasing her out of habit._  Inwardly, he snorted._  Stupid girl!  Hadn't she figured out that the **argument was habit, that I really wanted her to stay because I needed her -because I loved her?**_

"You had given her no cause to believe so-never shared with her what was in your heart.  She truly believes that there is no room for her in your heart, that you still long for the one Chaos allowed you to call back from the grave," Fate told him coolly.  "She believed so as you watch her and she still believes so now, a year later.  She must be convinced otherwise, and so must we."

  "How do you know what I was thinking?  I never said that out loud."  Inuyasha was becoming angry again.  Were his thought no longer his own!

  "I have known your thoughts since before we met.  In fact, I have known them for as long as I have watched you, as I have known hers.  It is how we have been speaking.  It is also the reason you know what Kagome is thinking."  The Spinner was slightly amused.  It had probably never occurred to the half-breed that they were speaking mind to mind.  "You needn't speak aloud; I will hear what you are thinking."  Still fuming, he nodded his head at her.  What else could he do?!  She was in control and he was only along for the ride.

  At his nod, she turned and directed his attention back to the scene before them.  His past self had just turned his back on Kagome.  Inuyasha flinched when he saw her reach out to him.  _If I had seen that I might have changed things.  I might have realized that she hurt as much as I did.  Then he heard again the four words that haunted his darkest moments – "I loved you, Inuyasha."  He closed his eyes at that and tried to fight the wave of despair that overtook him.  __I should have realized; should have done **something to stop her.**_

   "Would you have truly tried to stop her from just that one gesture?  She had made others, had even spoken to try to sway you.  Why was this gesture so important that it would change your mind?"  Fate asked him.  She could see his stricken expression and she needed to know his reasons.

   "Because I would have known for sure.  I would have known how she felt instead of thinking that she didn't feel as I did," he said sadly.  "I was so blinded by my own confusion and pain that I never once thought about how it affected her.  I was so desperate to never be hurt again that I pushed her away.  I never thought… that she…that she could…" _actually love someone like me.  _He inhaled sharply, suppressing the sob that almost escaped him.  Damn it!  He _would not _cry in front of this woman.  No matter how much he wanted to.

   The Spinner nodded wisely.  She had thought as much, but in order to help him find his way, she needed him to admit it to himself.  The only way to do that was to have him say it aloud.  She hoped her sisters believed him as she did.  He was about to lay his heart out for all to see, she only hoped he was strong enough to bear the pain this would cause.

   "Come," she said.  "Let us continue.  You need to see what happened to Kagome after she returned to her own time."  Again Fate reached out and touched his forehead.  Inuyasha closed his eyes, knowing what was coming.  When he opened them again, he saw the darkened interior of the well house.

   He looked up in time to see Kagome climbing out of the well.  She was still crying, and harsh, gut-wrenching sobs shook her slight frame.  _Stupid, Dog-Boy!  Look at the pain you've caused her.  And all because you're too damn proud to tell her how you feel!  Idiot!_

   Inuyasha continued to berate himself as he followed Kagome out of the well house and across the shrine grounds.  He followed as she ran into the house and up the stairs to her room, jumping slightly when her bag hit the floor.  He winced as her sobs grew louder and she flung herself across the bed.  _Oh, Kagome, please don't cry. _Even though he knew it was a useless gesture, he reached out for her.  If only he could hold her, dry her tears. _ You know I hate to see your tears, especially when I'm the cause; which, I realize now, is most of the time.  But it's worse now, because I can do nothing to comfort you and make them stop.  Inuyasha looked on, his heart in his throat and tears flowing unnoticed down his cheeks._

   Seeing his movement, Fate asked him kindly, "Would you console her, if you could, child?  Would you stop _her _tears, even as you shed your own?"  She had hoped for some kind of reaction from the half-breed, but she hadn't expected such a strong one.  Her sisters had been wrong.  This man was not the cold and uncaring beast they had named him.  He was quite capable of displaying strong emotions, a fact she had known.  But she had watched him for a long while; her sisters had had other matters to attend.  Perhaps now they would believe that the two truly belonged together.

   "Yes, I would," he answered thickly.  "I would do anything to see her smile again."  He turned to look at the Spinner, his gaze burning and full of emotion.  "As for my own tears, did you think me such an unfeeling monster that this wouldn't affect me?!  Did you truly think seeing the _one person who means __everything to me in so much pain __wouldn't hurt me?!  Just what do you take me for!" his voice was harsh with pain.  How dare this being think that he felt nothing when faced with this.  _I will have her back, _he thought, his eyes burning with a new resolve.  Some of his old fire was returning; Kagome seemed to have that affect on him.  She always had brought out the best in him.  _

He turned back to face his beloved.  Her mother had come and gone and she still cried inconsolably.  Softly, he spoke again, head bowed, his eyes hidden by his hair, "I love her with every beat of my heart.  It is _killing me to see her this way, and to know that I caused her pain is unacceptable.  It hurts to know that the one thing I couldn't protect her from…was me."_

   Fate turned her hooded head and regarded the half-demon beside her with a little surprise.  She had not expected to hear such a sentiment from him and her regard for him rose a bit higher.  "You find her pain unacceptable?" she asked.  At his nod, she continued, "We do, as well.  That is why we have chosen to intervene."  She smiled slightly.  "You are doing well, young one.  You may prove yourself yet."

   Before Inuyasha could respond, the scene before him changed again.  This time he recognized the place as Kagome's school, outside her school to be exact.  She and her friends appeared to be eating lunch.  He noticed the weak smiles she gave at her friend's jokes and his expression softened as he remembered the smile she saved just for him.  She didn't think he had ever noticed it, but he had and it would warm his heart every time he caught her at it.  Her smiles had gotten rather infrequent in the days before she left.  His expression saddened once more when he realized that that had been his fault.  If they were fighting, she couldn't smile at him that way and he could justify pushing her away.  

   His reverie was interrupted as the boy who chased his Kagome in this time walked up to their table and sat down next to her.  _How dare he!  Can't he see she doesn't want to be bothered!  Can't that asshole take the hint and leave my woman alone.  Damn it, now I sound like that stupid wolf. Inuyasha shook his head at the thought.  _I don't care!  She's mine and that idiot needs to leave her alone! _ The Spinner looked at Inuyasha sharply as a faint growl came from deep in his throat.  "Calm yourself, child.  Listen to them and you may have no need for all of that jealousy."_

  "Who said I was jealous?!  I just can't stand seein' that guy anywhere near her!  And quit callin' me 'child'.  I haven't been a child in a long time and it's pissin' me off!" he said, his eyes flashing.  Fate smiled within her hood.  She knew the half-breed had a possessive streak when it came to the young girl and any other male, but he needed to learn to trust in her judgment.  Maybe what he was about to see would help him along that path.

   "To me, all are children.  When you stand outside of Time, there is no one older than you," she told him pertly.  "Now, place your anger aside and trust in her judgment.  Watch, listen.  You might be surprised at what you see."  Fate turned her attention back to the group at the table.  Inuyasha stared at the entity a moment longer, as though contemplating a retort.  Deciding that it was pointless to argue with someone who knew what he was going to say before he did, he too turned his attention back to the group.  His friends would have rejoiced as his familiar smirk returned at what he heard.

   "Oh, hello, Hojo," Kagome said as the young man sat down next to her.  "How have you been?"  Inwardly, she sighed.  She really didn't want to deal with Hojo right now.  It had only been a couple of weeks since she left the Feudal Era and her heart still ached for the one she left behind. 

   "Hello, Kagome.  I think the real question is how are you?  Are you sure you should be back at school so soon?  You look a little pale," Hojo replied, concern evident in his voice.

   "I'm fine.  Really."  _At least physically._  Don't ask about emotionally.  Who knew a broken heart could hurt this bad?_  She smiled sadly at him.  Maybe if she looked sad enough, he would get the hint and leave her alone.  Maybe he would see that she really didn't want to talk right now._

   Nope.

   "I'm glad to hear it.  I was wondering if you felt up to seeing a movie or something.  I mean, if you're sure you feel up to it," he said, looking at her closely.  _She looks so sad.  Maybe I can cheer her up,_ Hojo thought.

   _You had to ask that, didn't you?  She thought.  _The one thing I didn't want to deal with **would **be the only thing you came here to talk about!  I don't want to hurt you, Hojo, but I don't think you'll get the hint if I don't._  She heaved a silent sigh and resigned herself to what she had to do._

"Um, Hojo…"  She held up her hand at her three friends, stopping the interruption she knew was coming.  "No, you guys.  Let me finish."  She turned back to Hojo.

   "I'm sorry, Hojo.  I really don't feel up to going out.  You see I'm still trying to get over…"

   "That's okay, Kagome.  We can go out when you feel better," Hojo interrupted, obviously not understanding.

   "No, Hojo please let me finish."  She drew in a shaky breath as she continued.  "I'm still trying to get over someone who meant a lot to me.  I-I loved him very much and I'll never get to see him again.  So, please, Hojo, don't ask me to go out with you.  My heart is still broken and I'm not ready to let him go," she explained, tears starting in her eyes.

   "Please," Kagome said softly, "just leave me alone for awhile.  I-I need some time to myself."  With that, she got up and walked away; leaving four very stunned and confused teenagers behind her.

   Inuyasha watched her leave, a stunned expression on his own face.  _Wow, Kagome.  I had no idea you felt this deeply for me.  I guess it was your kind heart that didn't want to hurt that idiot's feelings.  Kinda like it was with that damn wolf.  Although, I still don't understand why you got so mad every time I tried to pound him; that Hojo guy just did the same thing Kouga used to do and you didn't get mad at **him.  **Come to think, though, your kind heart wouldn't let you hurt anybody, even a man you had no interest in, and I usually caused the problems with Kouga.  I guess after dealing with us, this bonehead was easy.  Although, I don't understand why you never got like this with that wimpy wolf. _

   "You had not broken her heart then and she still saw you almost daily.  Now, she is broken and she no longer has the balm of seeing you to ease her pain.  Would you rather she had gotten over you in a few days time and gone to whoever came to court her?"  Fate asked him.  

   "What?!  I…What…  No!  I would rather she had never left, but…  Uh…  Oh, never mind!"  Inuyasha was a little flustered.  He had never looked at Kagome's friendship with Kouga in quite that light before and it confused him a little.

   "It is alright, young one.  I see what is in your heart.  You do not need to say anything."  As she waited for Inuyasha to compose himself, she gestured back to the four at the table.  "He does try again, several times.  And each time, she turns him down.  Eventually, he will get the message, as will the others that would pursue her affections."  Inuyasha stiffened a little at the mention of other males.  Fate continued, "She will have no other and she pines for you."

   Inuyasha could only nod.  He had realized that a few moments ago.  He really needed to speak to Kagome.  There were so many things that she needed to know, so very many things he needed to explain.  He turned and looked at the Spinner, despair evident in his eyes, "Please, I need to speak with her.  I need to explain…everything."  Would he get that chance?  Had he proven himself to the unreadable entity before him?

   His saddened gaze rested on the person who held his life in her hand.  The entity that had opened his eyes to the pain he had caused his beloved, knowing that her decision could heal him completely or end his will to continue in this existence.  Inuyasha stared fully in the face of Fate, and waited for the sword stroke to fall.

A/N:  Another cliffie.  I'm so evil.  I do apologize, but there are some other things we need to deal with before we decide our hero's Fate.  Next chapter _Find Your Way.  It should be up soon.  To all who reviewed, thank you.  Please continue.  It makes me want to finish this thing.  _

Until we meet again, Patch 

Revised and edited – 9/17/03

     
  


  
  


  


  
 


	5. Find Your Way

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Inuyasha _or any characters related to him.  That honor and privilege belongs to the talented Rumiko Takahashi.  I am, however, the master of my own Fate and the keeper of my own Destiny.  We should all be so fortunate. 

A/N- Just a note to help alleviate any confusion.  We are going to deal with Kagome in this chapter.  I am not leaving Inuyasha hanging, but we need to deal with a few things before the story can move on.  I'm sorry if this confuses anyone, but please bear with me.  Patch

Regrets

Chapter Five-Find Your Way

   Kagome knelt before the well and gazed sadly down into its dark depths, her chin resting on her folded arms._  Oh, Inuyasha, I don't know how to go on without you.  I don't know how I even managed before we met.  I never felt more alive than when I was with you, even when you were yelling at me and calling me those awful names.  I don't know if I can go on knowing that I'll never see you again.  I just hope that you found what you were looking for when you found Kikyo.  I hope that you're happy, wherever you are, _she thought as she wept.

   Kagome was so lost in her own thoughts that she never noticed the stranger beside her until she felt a hand stroking her hair.  She stiffened as a kindly voice spoke.  "Oh, you poor child; to feel such love and bear such heartache.  Would it stop your tears if you knew that you could have him back?  That he mourns your lose as you mourn his, and is even now fighting to return to your side?"  

   Kagome looked up, startled.  Beside her , on the lip of the well, sat a cloaked and hooded figure who regarded her with her hands folded in her lap.  The woman radiated a matronly presence and Kagome knew in her heart that she meant no harm.  Still, all the time spent in Inuyasha's company had forced her to become a little wary of strangers that appear out of nowhere.  "Who are you?  How do you know what I'm crying over?" she asked a little suspiciously. 

  "I see that the half-breed has rubbed off on you," the entity said.  She continued when she saw Kagome bristle at her reference to Inuyasha.  "Do not be angry, child.  It is, after all, what he is.  I mean no offense.  Now, to answer your questions; I am the Weaver, one of the three sisters that weave the Tapestry of Life.  I believe that you Humans refer to us as Fate," she said.  At least the young one had not acquired the half-breed's colorful language.  She chuckled as Kagome regarded her with a disbelieving look.  "I'm sure that you are wondering why Fate would take an interest in you and you're beloved, no."

   Kagome started.  She had just been wondering that very thing.  There was nothing truly special about her relationship with Inuyasha.  Not unless you counted that she would never have met him if she hadn't been pulled through the well.  Never would have spent so much time with him, gotten to really know him and fallen in love with him, if she hadn't broken the Jewel in the first place.  No, there was nothing special there, especially considering that the quest was over.  The Jewel was complete, the evil vanquished…and their hearts broken.  Well, at least hers was, he had Kikyo and was probably happier than Kagome ever could have made him.

   She looked up when she heard the Weaver chuckle dryly.  "Oh, child, how wrong you are!  Your relationship with the half-breed is very special, indeed.  You see, you were not meant to end up this way.  Unfortunately, we do not see everything and Chaos tends to strike when we are distracted.  And strike it did, allowing one who was to remain buried the freedom to walk again.  I'm sure that you can guess when that was, can't you?"  She looked at Kagome expectantly.  The young girl thought for a moment and then her eyes widened as she realized what event the Weaver spoke of.  

   "When the witch recreated Kikyo from her bones and the soil from her grave?  And Inuyasha called her name?"  Kagome was a little confused when the Weaver nodded.  "But what does that have to do with me?  _She was his love, I'm just the copy," she said sadly._

   "It has everything to do with you, child.  You are the reincarnation of the priestess that was destined to Heal the rift between Humans and Demons, with the help of a Half-Breed!  Don't you see, if the priestess had not come back, _you _would have completed the task she was not strong enough to see through.  We allowed her soul to come back in you and we made it possible for you to return to a time where that soul would be reunited with its bond mate.  Your Destiny was all planned out, and it would have gone smoothly, too, if Inuyasha had listened instead of reacting."

  "You cannot blame all of this on Inuyasha!"  Kagome was angry now.  How dare this woman try to say that Inuyasha caused all of this!  Hadn't she just said that they were distracted and Chaos forced this issue!   

   "Calm yourself, child.  We do not blame the Half-Breed entirely.  He could have done things a little differently, yes, but that would have gone against his very nature.  The forces of Chaos thrive on pain and confusion, something your love has in full measure.  We understand that, now we must be sure that he understands.  I have seen your Destiny, child, and it is a great one.  But only if_ he_ is there," Fate said forcefully.

   Kagome stared at the entity for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face.  She was slowly starting to remember something a friend had told her about Fate and the Wyrd Sisters…what was it?  _Oh, yeah.  Now I remember.  The three sisters hold the power to shape a person's life in a single thread.  The Spinner forms a thread from the ethereal mists, forming a new life.  The Weaver then takes the thread and weaves the person into the Tapestry of Life, recording their entire life and everything they do.  Finally, the thread passes to the Cutter, she who is also known as Lady Death.  She cuts and knots the thread, ending the life.  They would then begin again. Together they are the Spinner, the Weaver, and the Cutter-the Past, the Present, and the Future.  They could see an entire lifetime at the moment of a soul's birth.  They also decide whether a soul is reincarnated or fades back into the Mists.  That must be why they're so interested in Inuyasha and me.  _

   The Weaver nodded as Kagome pondered all of this.  "Yes, child; we had decided that your soul was not done living.  Unfortunately, it takes a bit to bring a soul back and by the time we were able to retrieve yours, it was too late to help Inuyasha.  That is, until we interfered.  You see, _we sent Mistress Centipede and opened the well for you."_

   "Why?" she asked plaintively.  "Why did you make me go through all of that; through all the danger, all the heartache and pain?  Why did you let me fall in love with him and then take him away?!"

   "It was your Destiny, but we did not take him away.  You did that on your own," Fate said matter-of-factly.

   "What do you mean; I did that on my own?  _I didn't close the well."  Kagome was confused.  "Did I?"_

   "Yes, child, you did.  You see, when you came through the last time, your will was to keep Inuyasha from following you, so your power closed the well to him.  If you had tried to return within a few days, the well would have worked.  But _we _interfered again.  We sealed the well until we were sure that you had both learned better.  And that is why we are here now.  To test your bond and, hopefully, reunite your souls."  Fate smiled at Kagome kindly.  "You two were not supposed to end this way."

   Kagome was still a little suspicious.  After all that she had seen, she still needed proof.  She didn't think that this woman would lie to her, but she had been deceived before and past experience made her a little wary.  The revelation that it was _her _power that closed the well did not set well within her and the tears again began to fall.  _Dammit, I am so tired of crying!  But what else is there when your heart bleeds.  No.  I will not cry anymore.  I will be strong and face the truths that this woman reveals to me.  I will not completely trust her yet, but judge her by what she has to say._

The Weaver chuckled dryly.  "I can see that some of your half-breed's suspicion has rubbed off on you.  He desired proof as well, although he was a little less forgiving when he decided to listen."  Kagome started a little at that.  It surprised her that he didn't just try to kill the entity when she appeared before him.  "He has greatly changed, child, and not for the better.  To say that he is lost without you would be to understate things."  Kagome's eyes again welled with tears.  The thought of the once vibrate demon reduced to a shadow of his former glory only saddened her more; a thought that was made worse by knowing that she was the cause.  

 _  Fate let her wallow in self-pity for a moment before continuing briskly," But you asked for proof, and proof I shall provide.  Look here, I will show you something that few Mortals have ever had the privilege to see."_

   The Weaver reached out and plucked something from the air in front of her.  Kagome looked at it closely, curious.  It appeared to be a bright blue thread that shone faintly in the dim well-house.  "This is a thread from the Tapestry of Life.  More importantly, this is _your thread, child.  You see before you the whole of your own existence thus far."  Kagome marveled at what she was told.  This was indeed a rare thing.  "Now, young one, a threads color is determined be the aura of the person it represents and the people that are very close to them.  Sometimes those threads will overlap and weave together.  Now look at it very closely.  Do you see anything odd about it?"_

   Kagome did as she was told and inspected the thread closely.  "There are other threads wrapped around it, but one of them is wrapped very tight.  Whose is it?"

    Fate smiled and plucked another thread from the air, a silver one this time, the same silver thread that wrapped her own so very tightly.  "This is Inuyasha's thread.  Here," she pointed to a spot a good distance from where it met Kagome's, "is where he first heard of the Shikon Jewel.  Here," she pointed to a spot further down, "is where he met Kikyo.  And here," she indicated the spot where a red thread twined briefly around the silver, "is where he fell in love with her."

   "Wait," Kagome interrupted.  "Why does the red thread wind around twice and then disappear?  Isn't that Kikyo's thread?  Shouldn't it be tighter and for a greater distance?"  _Like until the end?_

   "Indeed, this thread is the priestess'.  Because she did not fully accept him for who and what he is, and because she wished to change him for her own selfish reasons, their bond was easily broken.  That is why they only twine briefly," the entity explained.  "Now look here," she pointed to a section that was slightly duller than the rest.  "This is where he slept pinned to the tree.  And here," she pointed to the place where the thread shone again, "is where you came through the well and broke the spell that bound him.  And, finally, here," she pointed to where the blue joined the silver, "is where _he fell in love with __you.  I believe that he thought you had died at the hands of the Thunder Brothers," the Weaver said thoughtfully.  With a rueful sigh she continued, "Shortly after this, Kikyo is resurrected and all of our carefully laid plans go rather merrily to Hell."_

  "But why; why would that one event cause all of these problems?"  Kagome asked, still a bit confused.  She could understand Inuyasha's confusion.  To find a new love and then be confronted by the old one in that way would confuse anyone, especially someone as unsure of their feelings as Inuyasha; she had been there and seen it first hand.  But how did that change things so drastically?  _Wait.  If he hadn't called her name, my soul never would have left my body and entered hers, she never would have come back to life and Inuyasha never would have had to choose.  How could I not see it?  How could I have been so blind?_

   "Do not blame yourself, child.  We actually meant for them to meet again.  It was a test of the bond between you.  What we did not mean to happen was for her to survive her fall," she told her angrily.  "Had she not survived her fall from the cliff that day, we would not need to be doing this, but Chaos struck again and saved her.  And, as I'm sure you know very well, that is where all the trouble started.  I must admit, though, that we had some hope when Inuyasha refused to chase her after you healed her of Naraku's poison.  And after the battle, we thought that Inuyasha had sorted himself out, but the Half-Breed was always hard-headed," Fate shook her head and gave a slight smile.  "He didn't mean what he said to you at the well, child.  It was just reaction.  Your words hurt him, even as his hurt you.  Inuyasha loves you as deeply as you love him, but we must be sure that you understand what you have put each other though.  We must be sure that this will not happen again.  You two must be strong for each other; otherwise you will not fulfill your Destiny."

   "What Destiny?  The Jewel is complete, Naraku's defeated, what other Destiny could we have?"  Kagome asked her.  This was the problem you ran across when dealing with Fate.  They made the most cryptic references and then told you…

   "I cannot tell you that.  You must discover it on your own.  But first, I must show you what your beloved Half-Breed has been doing with himself since you left and he was unable to follow."  With that, the Weaver reached out and placed two fingers on Kagome's forehead and transported them back to the Feudal Era, to the day Kagome left.  She watched herself jump into the well and disappear.   

   "Why are we back here?"  Kagome demanded.  "It's not like I don't know what he's going to do now.  I'm sure he couldn't wait for me to leave so that he could go find his precious Kikyo."

   "Oh, child, do you truly think so little of him?  Do you have so little faith that he feels as strongly as you do?  Perhaps I was wrong in thinking your faith in him absolute."  The Weaver looked at her with a slightly disapproving expression.  Her sister was right in one thing, at least.  This child was indeed prone to snap judgments.  They had stood her in good stead for the most part, but when it came to her half-breed, they were not always as accurate.  "Watch, child.  It may surprise you to see his reaction to your abandonment."

   Kagome started a little when Fate referred to her leaving as "abandonment", but did as she was told.  She watched as Inuyasha spun to face were she had been, on hearing her final words.  She has never seen that particular expression on his face before, and she never wanted to see it again.  It was a strange mixture of pain and loss, desperation and longing.  She would have given much to go to him and wipe that look away, but something told her that she could not do that now.  _If I ever see him again, I swear that he will never have to feel that way ever again.  He will never wear that expression again!  They watched as he jumped into the well after her and landed with a rather loud _Thud_ at the bottom.  When he climbed out and they could see his face again, Kagome turned away, muffling her sob in her hand.  She could no longer bear to see that terrible expression, made worse because he could not follow her.  _

   "Please, Lady…  Please, I can't bear to watch him like this," she said, a slight hitch in her voice from the sob she held in.

   "But you must.  We are not done here.  Look.  See what he does as night falls."  Kagome noticed then that the sky had begun to darken.  "He has spent all of this day staring into that well, as though he could bring you back through the sheer force of his will."

   They watched as he turned and slowly made his way to the God Tree.  As he jumped up into its branches, Kagome remembered the day they met.  She wept as she compared the strong and sarcastic young man she had freed to the pain wracked and down trodden one before her.  _He looks as though someone beat him…or ripped his heart out.  I guess someone did; I did this to him.  How could I let it come to this?!  All I ever wanted was for him to be happy.  Was I really so blind to not see that he was trying to protect himself, protect his own heart, by pushing me from him.  I should have realized.  He kept his feelings so close for so long, had his heart stepped on by so many.  Of course, the only way he knew to make sure it didn't happen again, was to push away anybody who got close to him…including, perhaps especially, me.  Her tears fell faster as she thought; her heart wrenching as she listened to Inuyasha howl his loss and despair to the forest around him._

  "Come, child.  There is more that you must see."  Fate reached out and once again placed her hand to Kagome's forehead.  The scene altered only slightly.  They were still within the confines of Inuyasha's Forest, but this was another clearing, another day.  Before them stood Sesshoumaru, calm and poised for battle.  Kagome followed the demon lord's gaze to the other side of the clearing and saw Inuyasha.  He just stood and looked at his brother, a look of almost complete defeat on his face.

   "I will not fight you, Sesshoumaru.  If you've come for the sword, take it and go.  It no longer matters to me; there's no one here for me to protect," Inuyasha stated, his voice low and tinged with sadness.

   "You are even more pathetic and weak than I thought, Brother," Sesshomaru told him, contempt dripping from every word.  "Your little Human leaves and you loose all the spirit you ever possessed.  I will not lower myself to fight such a one.  You waste my time."  Sesshomaru turned and looked to his companions.  "Come, Rin, Jaken.  I can see that it was a waste to come here."  With that, he disappeared into the forest.  

    Inuyasha watched him go.  "If it would bring her back, I would have just given him what he wanted."

   "Would you even at the cost of your own life?"  Miroku asked as he emerged from behind the bush he had sought shelter in.  "I know that you no longer think your life worth living, but there are others besides Lady Kagome that would feel your loss should you lose it.  Do you really think that Shippo, Sango, and I would be happy if you left us?"  Inuyasha just stared at him, expressionless.  "We're your friends, idiot!  We care what happens to you!"

   "There is nothing without her, monk.  Don't you fucking understand that?!  I don't know _how to go on without her!"  Inuyasha turned away.  "I'm going away for a few days.  Don't follow me."_

   Kagome watched as he walked away.  _That sword means the world to him.  Would he have really given it up just for me? _

   "Yes, child, he would have.  He loves you more than life itself," Fate said as she took them back to the well house.  "His ordeal is not over yet.  What I have shown you took place only a few months after you left.  There is still one task he must accomplish, but I will leave that telling to him.  It is better that way."

   "What task does he have left?"  Kagome asked, wiping the tears from her face.  "He almost looked like he didn't want to live anymore."  She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.  "He wouldn't…try to…take himself out of this world, would he?" she asked haltingly. 

   "No, he is too strong-willed for that, as you should well know," the Weaver said calmly.  "No, the task he has left does not involve an attempted at his own demise.  As I said, though, it is better if you hear about it from him.  Now, Kagome, I will leave you for a while, to think about what I have shown you.  Your love is still being tested by my sister.  Be assured that you will see me again when she is finished."  Kagome could only nod.  She was already lost in thought.  She looked up at the sound of a car horn on the street, and when she looked back, the entity was gone.  _Well, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that she would disappear as suddenly as she appeared.  _Kagome gazed into the well once more.  _Be well, Inuyasha.  I love you.  Then she turned away and walked back into her house.  _

   She went up the stairs and into her room, closing the door behind her.  Kagome took the chair from her desk and placed it by the window.  She sat down and stared through the branches of the tree that Inuyasha used to use when he came to get her, deep in thought.  There was a lot that she had not realized about her relationship with the young demon.  Now that Fate had told her about their joined souls, she had a lot of thinking to do.  It was going to be a long night.

A/N:  Well, there it is; another chapter, finally.  It's not as good as the others, but I kind of had some problems.  It seems that I can get into Inuyasha's head better than Kagome's.  Kind of scary, huh?  Well, anyway, I hope you liked it.  Let me know if you did…or if you didn't.  Please review.  It makes me feel warm and squishy.  

Until we meet again,

Patch 

Revised and edited-8/23/03

Hopefully the changes that I have made improved the story a little.  It was brought to my attention that Kagome wasn't nearly as upset as Inuyasha.  I hope that I have fixed that at least a little.  Kagome still has a few things to find out; her test isn't quite over yet.  That will be in the next chapter or so.  I hope to have it out soon.  

Patch  
      


	6. First Steps Down the Right Path

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Inuyasha _or any characters related to him.  That honor and privilege belongs to the talented Rumiko Takahashi.  I am, however, the master of my own Fate and the keeper of my own Destiny.  We should all be so fortunate. 

This is the _actual_ chapter!  Sorry for the wait.  Hope it was worth it.

~Previously~

   His saddened gaze rested on the person who held his life in her hand.  The entity that had opened his eyes to the pain he had caused his beloved, knowing that her decision could heal him completely or end his will to continue in this existence.  Inuyasha stared fully in the face of Fate, and waited for the sword stroke to fall.

Regrets

Chapter Six-First Steps Down the Right Path

   Fate chuckled kindly.  "If I gave you that chance, what would you do with it?  Would you go to her and pour out your heart?  Lay bare your soul for her to weigh and judge as we have?  Or would you continue to push her from you, breaking her heart again and causing her more pain?"

   "I would tell her that I am a fool; a blind, selfish, irrational fool.  But first, I would talk to her and explain…explain why I have hidden my heart for so long," Inuyasha answered, tears still standing in his eyes.  _I would hold her to me and never let her go again.  I would do everything in my power to convince her that **she **holds my heart, and no other will ever take her place!  He looked at the entity before him and swallowed hard.  He was so close to happiness, and, yet, he was further away than he had ever been.  _Please,_ he begged her, silently.  He, who had never rolled over for anyone, now begged for the one thing that would make his life worth living again.  "Please, I don't think I can live knowing that I could have had her back, and that I failed her…again.  Please, there is so much that I need to say to her, so much hurt I need to make up for.  Please…"_

   The Spinner looked at him coolly.  She had made her decision, but her sisters had not.  "Would you like to see Kagome at this moment?"

   "More than anything in the world!" he said shakily, his heart leaping in his chest.

   "I can show you, but remember you cannot interact with her.  This is just an image of the present," she warned.  Inuyasha nodded his head, impatient with her warnings and his need to see that beloved face once more.  The Spinner reached out to him and Inuyasha watched as the scene before him changed from the grey nothingness they had been standing in, to the cool darkness of the shrine well-house.  "My sister has not yet appeared to her," she told him.  Her gaze rested on the young man before her and she answered the question she saw in his eyes.  "She comes here every day, just as you do in your time."

      Kagome knelt before the well, her head resting on her folded arms and stared blankly into the darkness below her.  Inuyasha sat on the lip of the well next to her, unknowingly mirroring the pose that the Weaver would soon take.   He reached out and gently stroked her hair.  He could almost feel the silky texture beneath his hand.  He closed his eyes and allowed himself to remember those stolen moments when he had watched her as she slept; those precious few times when he had brushed her hair from her face, the better to take in her sleeping countenance in the moonlight. 

    They remained that way for a few moments, and Inuyasha was content to remain there forever.  Just being in her presence again brought back a strength he had forgotten he had.  To just see her again made him feel more alive than he had in all of this long year past, and he wished with all of his heart that Fate would be kind and return her to him. 

  "Come," said the Spinner, breaking him from his thoughts.  "My sister is here and I believe that your Kagome has noticed our presence.  Or, at least, she has noticed your attention."  For, indeed, Kagome had begun to stir from the apparent funk into which she seemed to have sunk.  With a heavy sigh, Inuyasha stopped his hand in mid-motion and let it join his other in his lap.  He turned his gaze expectantly back to the Spinner.  It was then that she noticed that he seemed calmer, more relaxed, and not as likely to be completely consumed by his sorrow.  _How strange.  Perhaps their bond is stronger than even **we thought.  With a touch, she returned them to the clearing before the well.**_

   "My sister has taken your place beside Kagome.  It will be a bit before her ordeal is over.  I am sure that you are wondering what happens now?" she looked at him with a rueful smile.  At Inuyasha's curt nod, she continued.  "Now, we wait.  Or, more accurately, _you wait.  I will return to you in two days time.  By then we will have decided if you have both proven yourselves.  If you have, the well will once again be open and you will be allowed to travel through it.  After that," she gave a small sigh, pitying him the task he had yet to undertake.  "After that, you must convince _her _and I fear that that made be a harder task than any you have faced thus far."_

   Inuyasha raised his head proudly and looked Fate straight in the eye.  "I think you underestimate us both.  From the beginning, Kagome and I have shared a bond.  I don't know what it is or even how to explain it, but its there.  And not even Naraku in all of his evil, or Kikyo when she led me astray, could _ever make her lose her faith in me!" his voice rose with the force of his conviction.  Fate smiled within her hood.  It was good that his spirit had returned, even if only for a brief moment.  "No matter how I hurt her," he said, his voice softening with wonder and realization, "she was always there for me, always accepting.  __She didn't see anything wrong with me being a half-breed.  _She _accepted me when my own brother-my own flesh and blood-wouldn't; for that alone, I would feel something for her.  But there is so much more to it than that.  She is my strength and my hope."  He turned his head slightly, unable to look at the Spinner as he said simply, "Kagome is my life…and…and I love her."_

   "I am glad to hear you declare your heart so freely.  In two days time, tell her and you may get your heart's greatest desire," the Spinner told him gently.  "Look for me here after the new moon.  Tell your companions if you wish, but know this.  This task is for you and you alone.  They will only know the outcome and they will not be allowed to cross time to help you."  Inuyasha looked thoughtful at that.  Maybe it would be better to not tell them until he brought her back with him.  Yes, it was better not to worry them-and he knew that Sango would be very worried if she knew what was going on.  "Very well; it matters not if they know now or later."  

   The Spinner turned and began walking back into the forest.  "Remember, Inuyasha.  Two days."  He nodded to show that he understood.  "Until then."  With that, she disappeared, leaving Inuyasha staring at the spot she had last occupied.  After a few moments, he shook his head and made his way to the God Tree.  Jumping up to a comfortable branch, he settled in to wait and think about what he would say when he saw his Kagome again.

~Sunset Shrine-Present Day Tokyo, Two Days Later~

   Inuyasha jumped out of the Bone-Eater's well for the first time in a year.  It seemed that Fate had been kind to him.  They had decided that the two deserved the chance to mend their hearts and had opened the time portal once again.  Inuyasha just stood for a few moments and allowed himself to take in that beloved scent that permeated the air around him.  Sure, it was several hours old, but it was still Kagome.  Before he became too lost in that scent, he walked up the stairs and opened the well-house door.  Scenting the fresher air beyond, he could not detect anything more recent than what was in the well house.  Good, she wasn't home yet.  That meant he had time to talk to her mother before he saw her.

   Inuyasha stepped out of the door and made his way toward the main house, his steps slow and hesitant.  He was very unsure of his reception here.  Kagome and her mother were close, and he was certain that the older woman knew exactly what had happened between Kagome and himself.  _She probably hates me.  I wouldn't be surprised if she screamed at me and never allowed me to see her daughter again.  Not that I can blame her.  I was a jackass, and I did hurt Kagome pretty bad.  If I can't convince her mom to let me see her, what hope do I have of convincing Kagome that I … Inuyasha mentally shook himself.  Those kinds of thoughts wouldn't get him anything, particularly Mrs. Higurashi's help in talking to Kagome.  _Stop that.  You **will convince them both and you ****will have Kagome back with you.  Just don't say anything stupid or harsh…In other words, don't be the rude, selfish bastard you have been all your life and you should be fine.  **_He snorted and shook his head.  _Yeah, right, like I can do that!__

   By this time, Inuyasha had crossed the courtyard that separated the well house from the Higurashi's residence.  He looked up in surprise; his inner monologue had taken all of his attention away from where he was walking.  He stopped and stared for a moment at the door that concealed his Fate.  Would she listen?  Would he ever get the chance to atone for the misery he had caused in Kagome's life?  Would Kagome hate him?  Would she think that he would rather be in Hell than be with her?  _Would the sky please fall and knock some sense into him so that he could just get **on** with this?!  Taking a deep breath to settle his thoughts, Inuyasha steeled his nerves and did the hardest thing he had ever had to do. _

 He knocked on the door.

~*~*~

   Mrs. Higurashi was standing in her kitchen putting the last touches on her dinner preparations, when she heard a knock at her door.  Looking up at the clock on the wall, she found that it was still a bit early to be her children, and her father-in-law was somewhere on the shrine grounds.  Besides, none of them would knock.  Walking to the door, she opened it to reveal a young man about her daughter's age standing on the porch.  He stood with his head bowed, as though uncertain of his reception.

  "I'm sorry, young man.  Kagome's not home from school yet," was Mrs. Higurashi's automatic response, the one she tended to give all of the young men that stopped by to see Kagome.  This time, though, she only got as far as "Kagome's not home" before she realized who the young man was.  For a moment, all she could do was stare in bemused silence as she took in the red outfit, silver-white hair, and dog ears.  The silence broke when she stammered, "I…Inu..yasha?  Is that really you?"

   Inuyasha simply nodded his head, unable to speak.  Mrs. Higurashi frowned, "Why are you here?"  

   How dare he show up now, when Kagome was still in so much pain!  Mrs. Higurashi was becoming angry.  Here stood the cause of her daughter's misery-and he didn't even have the decency to look her in the eye.  

  "I need to see Kagome," Inuyasha said, his face still averted.  "You have to let me speak to her…"  He would have continued, but was stopped by a resounding *SMACK*.  As his head turned in the direction of her hand, it dawned on Inuyasha that perhaps he could have phrased that better- and Kagome's mother was _extremely_ pissed at him.

   "No, young man; I don't _have _to let you do anything.  After everything you put her through, the _last_ thing I _have to let you do is speak to my daughter!" Mrs. Higurashi was beyond angry.  Outraged was probably more like it—At least until Inuyasha looked back and she saw the same sorrow that Kagome's eyes held reflected in his golden gaze.  Taking a closer look, she saw the saddened expression and the dejected set of his ears.  Suddenly, all of the anger she felt melted away, and she was having a lot of trouble meeting his eyes.  _Maybe I was wrong.  Is it possible that he feels as strongly as Kagome?  Could it be that he chose the only option he saw as available…and he regrets it as much as she does?__

   The answer was quite obviously "yes".  He did feel Kagome's loss as strongly as Kagome felt his.  The only questions left in Mrs. Higurashi's mind were what now and what about the other woman.  She finally met Inuyasha's troubled stare and sighed.  "Come in, Inuyasha.  You have a few things to explain before I feel comfortable allowing you to talk to Kagome," she warned.  Yes, he _definitely had some explaining to do._

    Inuyasha looked shocked for a moment.  _I thought for sure that she was going to send me away.  Maybe there's hope after all.  He followed Kagome's mother into the front sitting room.  Neither of them spoke until they were both comfortable, Mrs. Higurashi on the sofa and Inuyasha sitting stiffly in a chair across from her.  Inuyasha fidgeted, uncertain as to how, exactly, to begin this particular conversation.  _Nervous is an understatement.  Damn it, she makes Sesshomaru look like a pansy!__

   Mrs.Higurashi watched Inuyasha fidget in his chair.  This didn't look like it was easy for him.  She knew that he had a hard time expressing himself, at least where Kagome was concerned.  She had a pretty good notion that a lot of their arguments were more from stubbornness than misunderstanding.  They really were perfectly matched.  The silence stretched on, until the older woman could no longer take it.  She cleared her throat, causing the half-demon across from her to jump.

   "Well, Inuyasha, why don't you start by telling me what happened the last time you saw my daughter."

   "You mean you don't know?" he asked, a little shocked.  Inuyasha was sure that Kagome would have said _something to her mother about that day.  As the older woman shook her head, he sighed deeply, dreading the task before him.  It was going to be very difficult to get Mrs. Higurashi to understand why he did some of the things he did; especially when he didn't understand himself.  And, so, visibly bracing himself, he told her everything.  From the half-argument in front of Kaede's hut to the chase to the well.  He told her about the lonely days that followed, including his confrontation with Kikyo._

        Mrs. Higurashi listened attentively, her only audible reaction a gasp when he told of Kikyo's demise.  That was something that Kagome _really needed to hear, and she said as much to Inuyasha. _

   "Yeah, I know.  Fate said the same thing," he said.  And then, before Kagome's mother could ask, he told her about his encounter with Fate and the re-opening of the well.  She wasn't sure how to react after that and Inuyasha sat in silence, letting her absorb everything.  _God only knows that **I **wouldn't be taking this as well as she is, but I guess she's kinda gotten used to strange tales, what with Kagome and the Jewel shards and all.  Hell, she has a Half-Demon sitting in her house telling the tale, for cryin' out loud!  Still, it is kinda hard to believe and **I** lived it!_

"Well, Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi said finally.  "That's quite a story."  She looked over at him and made sure to catch and hold his eyes.  "I believe you.  I have never known you to lie, so I believe you."  She looked away from him briefly.  The only way to get the answers she needed was to be blunt, so… "The next thing is what now?  You obviously came here to gain my approval, so what are you going to do with it?"  She smiled weakly.  She had a pretty good idea, but she wanted him to ask. 

   Inuyasha stared at her in shock for a moment.  That was a lot easier than he thought it would be.  It was the next part that would be difficult.  "I have to tell Kagome what happened with Kikyo.  She needs to know; she deserves to know," he said softly.  "I-I want her to stay with me in my time, if she's willing."  He winced a little.  Here's where it would not be so easy.  He was positive that Kagome's mother wouldn't want her daughter to spend the rest of her life away from her, and with someone like him, at that.  He was in for a shock, though.

   "Okay," Mrs. Higurashi said.  She drew a deep breath.  She knew that this day would come eventually, and she couldn't think of any other that she would rather Kagome be with.  But, still.  She would be strong for her daughter and let her make her own decision.  "You can speak to Kagome.  Ask her to go back with you.  But," catching his eye again, she told him sternly, "you have to do everything you can to make sure that she is happy.  Do you understand, young man?"  

   For the second time that afternoon, Inuyasha sat in shock.  He nodded mutely in answer to her question.  At the same time thinking that this _had to be where Kagome got her forgiving and caring nature.  On impulse, he rose from his seat and crossed the room to stand in front of the woman who had just given him back his hope.  He bowed to her, low and deep, a formal expression of respect.  "Thank you, Lady.  You don't know what this means to me."_

   Mrs. Higurashi started a bit in surprise.  Then she smiled a tearful smile.  Inuyasha could be a real gentleman when he wanted to.  "If you can bring the smile back to Kagome's face, Inuyasha, than you have given me the best thanks a mother could ever ask for."  She wiped the tears from her eyes as Inuyasha rose from his bow.  "Now, Kagome and Souta are due home in a little while.  Did you want to wait here and speak to her when she gets home?"

   "No.  Could you ask her to meet me in front of the God Tree at sundown?  I need time to figure out what I'm going to say to her."  Inuyasha shook him head.  "I just hope that I don't screw this up."

  "Tell her what is in your heart, and you'll do fine," Kagome's mother said as she reached out and embraced the young demon.  "She loves you.  She's just been confused and frustrated.  Just tell her plainly, she'll listen," the older woman let Inuyasha go.  "Now," she said, giving him a slight push toward the door, "if you don't want her to see you until later, I suggest that you go make yourself comfortable in that tree of yours.  I'll send her out at sunset, ok?"

   Inuyasha nodded as he walked out the door.  He stepped off the porch and headed to the God Tree.  Leaping up, he landed on one of the lower branches.  It had just enough foliage to conceal him from the ground, but not so much that he couldn't see what was under him.  Satisfied with his perch, Inuyasha settled into wait, hoping that this night would finally ease the ache in his heart and reunite him with the other half of his soul; his Kagome.

Yes!  Finally this chapter is finished!  I'm really sorry for the long wait, but as I said before, life got in the way.  Moving didn't help, either.  Hopefully, the next chapter won't take as long.  I hope you liked it.  Let me know.

Until we meet again,

Patch


	7. Healing HeartsMending Souls

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Inuyasha _or any characters related to him.  That honor and privilege belongs to the talented Rumiko Takahashi.  I am, however, the master of my own Fate and the keeper of my own Destiny.  We should all be so fortunate. 

A/N:  Okay, people.  Here it is.  The moment you've all been waiting for.  Inuyasha and Kagome come face-to-face for the first time in a year.  What will happen?  You have to read and find out.  Oh, I found the song "Here without you" by Three Doors Down to be very motivational for this chapter.  If you haven't heard it, you should be tarred and feathered.  No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding.  Seriously, though, check it out.  It's a good song, by a good band.  Anyway, you didn't come here for this, so…On with the show!

Oh, and Hime-chan00, your wait ends here!__

Regrets

Chapter Seven-Healing Heart; Mending Souls

   It was about six-thirty in the evening, and Mrs. Higurashi was just finishing the dinner dishes.  _Well, she thought, _I should probably go talk to Kagome.  It **is almost sunset and I know that Inuyasha is waiting for her.  The question is how I get her out there without telling her who she's meeting. **_ Kagome's mother sighed; this might be a little difficult.  She spied the bags that she had brought in earlier, before her afternoon visitor.  _Wait a minute.  She doesn't know how many bags I had.  Maybe if I ask her to go get one that I "left" by the tree…_ she nodded to herself.  Yes, that would work; now to get her daughter out to face her Destiny._

~*~*~*~

   "Why couldn't she go get that bag herself?"  Kagome muttered to herself.  "Doesn't she know that I have studying to do?  Stupid bag…couldn't wait till morning."  Kagome continued her muttering complaint until she stood before the God Tree.  There she stopped and just stared for a moment, blinking hard to hold back tears she didn't want to shed.  There had been enough of that lately.  _This is where it all started.  Where I first met Inuyasha…  Where I gave my heart away…  _"Oh, Inuyasha, why did you have to be such a jerk!"

   "Because I am the idiot that you always named me, and I couldn't see what was right in front of me," said an achingly familiar voice from behind her.  Kagome turned around slowly, not really believing what she thought she was hearing.  What she saw made her heart skip and then race.  There stood her love, just as she remembered him.  Kagome stared, and then she noticed that he looked slightly careworn; as though the past year had been just as hard on him as it had been on her.

  "Inuyasha?" she asked her voice and expression uncertain.  "Is that really you?"  Her heart had started to pound so hard that she was sure he could hear it, even though he stood a good distance from her still.

   "Hello, Kagome," he answered thickly, hesitantly.  "It's been a long time."  Inuyasha approached her slowly, still a little uncertain of his reception.  His golden eyes searched her face anxiously, looking for any reaction.  As he came within arms-length of her, he got one - and it was a reaction that he was half way expecting.

   *SLAP*

   For the second time that day, Inuyasha's head was turned by the force of a Higurashi woman's hand.  He closed his eyes briefly and then turned back to look at Kagome.  She stood before him in the light of the setting sun, slowly lowering her hand back to her side, anger blazing in her eyes.  How could he act so…so… casual about this!  _We haven't spoken in over a year and all he can say is "It's been a long time"!  What about "I'm sorry" or "I was wrong"?  What about that!_  Her inner rant was cut short by his next words.

   "I deserved that," he said softly.  He stood before her with his head bowed, his hair hiding his closed eyes and pained expression  "I deserve that and more for what I put you through."  He would have said more, but the scent of her tears stopped him.  Inuyasha looked up uncertainly, waiting for her to make the next move.  As always, her tears were the one thing that could stop him cold, and he didn't know what to do about it.

   Kagome closed her eyes and bowed her head, the tears falling unheeded down her face.  She couldn't believe that this was the same Inuyasha that she had left behind.  Sure, on the outside he looked the same.  There was the same red fire-rat suit that covered the same lean frame that had carried and protected her countless times.  There was the same silver-white hair that reflected the rays of the dying sun; the same dog ears that had first attracted her and marked him as something special.  But then she noticed the differences.  Those ears, while they still swiveled and took in every sound around them, didn't stand up as they once had.  They drooped slightly, dejectedly. 

 Then she looked in his eyes; those eyes that she had lost herself in countless times; that golden gaze that held so much of what he was truly feeling, even if he tried to hide it with his rude and arrogant behavior.  If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then this was a soul tormented in the depths of Hell.  Pain, sorrow, loss; emotions that she had only glimpsed during their travels together, now held dominance in his eyes.  Kagome found her anger melting away and her sorrow returning to take its place.  The man that was once vibrant and full of life now stood before her a dull shadow of his former self.  Inuyasha had the look of a man who has been allowed a glimpse of Heaven and not only been denied entrance, but been forced to watch as others found joy around him.

   _My God, Inuyasha, what did I put you through?  she thought as she reached out and gently cradled his red cheek in her hand, soothing the sting from her slap.  It never occurred to her that the same pain was reflected in her own eyes.  As always, Kagome's first thoughts were for the one who stood before her.  Inuyasha was stunned for a moment.  He had seen the emotions run across her face as she stared at him.  As he recovered enough from his surprise to reach up and cover the hand resting on his cheek, she spoke.  "No, Inuyasha, you don't deserve to be slapped for something you didn't do.  If anyone should take the blame for this mess, it's me.  I didn't give you a chance…and I'm sorry.  I let my own feelings get in the way and never once considered what you were feeling.  I…"  She was cut off by a clawed finger over her lips._

  "No.  Kagome, it was the blaming that got us into this mess in the first place.  Lets not blow our second chance by repeating past mistakes."  Inuyasha looked deep into her eyes as she nodded her agreement.

   "Where do we go from here?" she asked softly.  "I still don't completely understand what happened that day.  And what about," she cringed a little, not really wanting to bring it up, but knowing that they couldn't move on until one of them did, "Kikyo."

   Inuyasha sighed.  He knew that he would have to tell her what had happened, but he wasn't sure that he was ready for that.  So, in typical Inuyasha fashion, he stalled.  "What did Fate show you from that day?"  He gave an amused little snort at her surprise.  "She only told me that her sister was testing you.  She wouldn't tell me what they showed you."  

   Kagome turned away slightly and would have turned away completely if Inuyasha hadn't retained his hold on her hand.  Realizing that he probably wouldn't be letting go anytime soon, and she would be damned before she 'sat' him right now, she said, "Can we take a seat somewhere?  This might take awhile."  He nodded and followed the slight tug she gave to his hand.  But then a slightly mischievous glint came to his eye, and before Kagome could react, he had scooped her up and jumped back to the branch where he had spent the afternoon.  Settling in the crook where the branch met the tree, Inuyasha arranged them so that his back was against the trunk and Kagome sat in his lap with her legs dangling off the branch and his arms around her waist.  At least this way she couldn't run when the Kikyo subject came up.  And he could see her face while they talked.

  Kagome had given a small "eep" when Inuyasha picked her up and jumped, but when he settled her in his lap, she was torn between being angry again and profound embarrassment at the close contact.  That is until he said, "You're not going to fall, Kagome.  I would never let anything happen to you."  At that point, she settled for embarrassment and blushed.  "Besides, we have a lot to talk about and this way we won't be interrupted."  Realizing that he had a point, Kagome gave herself up as trapped in a tree, and sat for a moment collecting her thoughts. 

   "She took me back to the well, to just before I jumped in.  She said that you didn't mean what you said, said that it was just reaction.  That I had hurt you."  She looked at him with tear-filled eyes.  "I never meant to hurt you, Inuyasha.  I-I guess that I was hurting…and I wanted you to hurt, too."  Kagome looked away as the tears fell from her eyes.  "I'm sorry," she whispered.  "I know that doesn't make up for it, but…Please.  Forgive me."

   The feeling of a callused thumb wiping away her tears made her look up and meet Inuyasha's soft gaze.  It hit her then that Fate hadn't lied.  This past year _had changed him.  He never would have shown his concern before, but now, it was written clearly in his eyes.  "There is nothing to forgive, Kagome," he said softly, still lightly stroking her cheek.  "I told you, I am as much to blame for this.  We both made mistakes.  Now we have the chance to fix them."_

   "I never should have abandoned you," she said weakly.  "I promised to stay by your side, and I ran away."

  "I drove you away," Inuyasha corrected gently.  "If I had told you how I felt, you never would have left."  He looked off into the distance, dropping his hand and avoiding eye contact.  "But I was afraid-afraid to open my heart and have it broken again.  I didn't think you felt the same way."  He closed his eyes, his expression once again pained.  "I mean, how could you?  How could you possible have feelings for someone as worthless as me?  Especially after everything I put you through."  His voice was so low by now that Kagome had to strain to hear him.  It was almost as if he were speaking to himself.  "How could I ever hope to imagine that you would want me as I am?  Not even Kikyo could accept me-what made me think that you would."

   If they hadn't been in that damned tree, Kagome would have said the word without any hesitation.  As it was though, she said the next best thing.  "Idiot."  She chuckled at his reaction, which was to jerk his head up and look at her like she'd lost her mind.  "When will you ever learn that I love you for who you are in here," she reached out and placed her hand on his chest, over his heart, "not for what you are here," she moved her hand up to gently caress his ear.  "It was never about your heritage or even what you look like.  The Inuyasha that I fell in love with is a strong-willed, arrogant jerk with a heart of gold."  She smiled wryly at him.  _I wonder how long it'll take for him to realize that I just said that I love him, _she thought, averting her eyes.  _Not that he feels the same way. _

   Inuyasha sighed as he watched her smile fade.  "You know, there is one thing that I realized while you were gone.  Do you want to know what it is?"

   "What?" she asked her confusion evident.  "What did you realize?"

    He reached out and turned her head so that he could look her in the eye.  "I realized that I love you more than anything in this world.  And that my life has little to no meaning if you aren't in it."

   "That would be wonderful, Inuyasha, if it were true," Kagome muttered without thinking.

   He dropped his hand as if she had stung him.  "But it is true," Inuyasha refrained from calling her "bitch", even though it was right on the tip of his tongue.  "What can I do to convince you?!"  He was staring to feel helpless, a feeling that he liked less than feeling stupid.  "Did my leaving so often to find Kikyo really weaken your faith in me so much that you can't believe me?"

   "I'm sorry," she said softly.  He had hurt her so very much and, as much as her heart screamed at her to accept him, her head was afraid - afraid that he would leave her again.  Without knowing Kikyo's fate, she was afraid that he would run back to her the first chance he got.  No.  As much as she wanted it to be true, as much as she _needed _it to be true, her heart couldn't take that again.

   _:  Perhaps **we** can help to put your fears to rest, child.  He speaks the truth, but I suspect that seeing what he sacrificed for you will speak louder than simple words:   A quick glance at Inuyasha proved that he had heard the voice as well.  In the next instant, the world went grey, then green-the green of a forest clearing in the late afternoon.  Glancing around, Kagome recognized it as the clearing in front of the God Tree in the feudal era; the place where it all started.  How fitting that it would be the scene for her last test._

   Kagome looked around a little more, trying to get her bearings.  It was obvious that this was another of Fate's visions, but where was Inuyasha?  A flicker of movement to her right made her turn and look in that direction.  There stood three cloaked and hooded figures.  She recognized the one in violet as the Weaver, the entity that had tested her not two days ago.  Had Inuyasha seen them, he would have recognized the entity in silver as the Spinner.  

   The Weaver approached Kagome.  "Hello, child," she said gently.  "This is your last test.  My sisters wished to be here as witness.  They wished to observe the end as they have been watching since the beginning."

   "Sisters?"  Kagome was a little confused.

  "Of course, child," fate smiled.  "The Spinner," she indicated the being in silver, "and She Who Cuts the Threads," here she pointed to the third figure.  This one stood in a cloak of midnight blue, a blue so dark it was almost black.  "I think that you would know her better as Death."

   "What?  Why would Death be here?"  Kagome was becoming a little frantic.  Did that mean that someone was going to die?  And where the hell was Inuyasha?

   "Be at ease, Kagome.  She is not here for you or you're beloved.  Now," she said sternly, "watch, and perhaps, your fears will finally be laid to rest."

   Kagome turned her attention to the tree, and stiffened.  There stood Inuyasha…and Kikyo.  Knowing that this was important, she forced herself to watch and listen.  Her heart in her throat and uncertainty in her very soul, she watched as Kikyo approached.  Inuyasha stood against the God Tree, his arms folded across his chest and a pensive expression on his face.

   "It is time to go to Hell, Inuyasha.  You have defeated Naraku and completed the Jewel.  Now fulfill your last promise and come with me," Kikyo said her eyes hard and her expression stern.

   Inuyasha stood and stared at her for a few moments.  It was almost as if he were trying to understand something, a concept that was just out of reach.  And then, as though a light had been lit in the darkness, his face hardened with a resolve that Kikyo had never seen before.  "No.  My responsibility ends here.  It's time that you listened to what I have to say."  Inuyasha's tone was brusque, harsh.  It was obvious to all that he was not going to be swayed from whatever decision he had made.

   "I am sorry, Kikyo.  Sorry that you were brought back through my careless action.  Sorry that I caused you so much pain," he said pain evident in his voice.  "It took me a long time to come to terms with your death.  Waking up to a world without you in it was painful, and for a while I thought the grief and pain would tear me apart.  But, then you came back.  And I naïvely thought that we were being given a second chance.  It wasn't until recently that I realized that I had my second chance…and I let her slip away."

   "That girl," Kikyo hissed.  "You would betray me for that worthless girl!"

   "Don't you _ever speak of her that way!"  Inuyasha roared.  "She was never worthless or weak."  His anger faded and his face softened, "She is everything that you were and then some.  She was everything that you had hoped to be."  Inuyasha looked at Kikyo, but it was as though his eyes looked through her.  "I love her and I will do whatever it takes to find her again."_

   "I see," Kikyo's voice was harsh and she watched him, her face thoughtful.  "Does she make you happy?"

   "More than anything in this world," he answered hoarsely, a little unsure of where this was going.

   "Then I can rest peacefully."  She smiled weakly.  Kikyo had finally accepted her Fate.  "Do what you have to do, Inuyasha." 

   Kagome watched in awe as Inuyasha reached out and pulled Kikyo close.  She would have turned away had Fate not placed a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to watch the scene play out.  Kagome gasp when Inuyasha reached into Kikyo's chest and pulled something out, crushing it in his hand.  He stood and watched as her body turned to dust before him, a tear or two sliding down his cheek.  Then something strange happened.  

   As Kikyo's body collapsed, all of the soul that had been inside her ascended…save one.  This soul hovered between Kagome and Inuyasha; it's misty form pulsing gently.  It floated to Inuyasha, enveloping him in a soft white light and Kikyo's voice said, "I forgive you."  The light caressed him gently before it shot toward Kagome, hitting her in the chest.  Kagome welcomed back the long missing piece of her soul.  Closing her eyes, she felt Kikyo's presence just before she heard her voice.

   "I understand now why he loves you.  Even though we share the same soul, we do not share the same spirit.  Yours is as wild as his, and I think that you will be a better match than I ever could.  As much as I wanted to, I was never able to accept the demon that is so much a part of him.  But you could and you have.  Accept him now, little sister in soul.  Let him love you and you will find the happiness that I was denied.  Farewell, sister, farewell."  With that, Kikyo's presence left her.

   Kagome opened her eyes and was greeted by gold.  She blushed to find Inuyasha's face so close to her own, and she stepped back a little.  It was then that they realized that they had returned to the modern era and were once again standing under the God Tree.

   Inuyasha was a little hurt when she stepped away from him, but then he had probably startled her being that close.  "Are you okay, Kagome?" he asked, concerned.

   She nodded, reaching up and pushing a stray strand of hair out of his eyes.  "I understand now, Inuyasha.  And I believe you.  I love you.  I don't ever want to be separated from you again."

   Nothing could have rivaled the light that shone from him then; not the sun or the moon or the stars.  With a loud whoop of joy, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome and spun her around until they were both too dizzy to stand.  Clinging to each other until the world quit spinning, they both laughed with breathless abandon.  At least until a thought occurred to Kagome that sobered her.

   "Inuyasha," she said in a small voice.  She really didn't want to burst the bubble that they were in, but it had to happen sometime.  When she was sure that she had his attention, she continued, "What about when I get old?"

   "Wh-what?"  It hit him then that she was right.  She would grow old and die, and he would continue to live…and not age.  He almost panicked, until a memory from his childhood came to mind.  It was a story that his mother had told him, about a human woman and a demon man and a ritual that bound them together.  Myoga had mentioned it before as well.  He would have to get the flea to give him the details later, but the important thing was that the human's life was extended.  "I think that I know a way around that, Kagome.  And we don't even need the Jewel to do it."

   He grinned at the befuddled expression she wore.  She was so cute when she was confused!  Unable to hold back any longer, Inuyasha leaned over and did something he had been longing to do for years.  He kissed her.

   It wasn't a long kiss and it wasn't the passionate, tongue battling one that she half way expected.  No, this kiss was a little clumsy and very chaste, but it was one that was given out of love.  That it was her first and it was from the man she loved made it the best kiss she could ever have hoped for or imagined.   It ended as abruptly as it had begun and afterwards Inuyasha wrapped her in a tight embrace.  Kagome was content to stay right there forever; she had never felt safer or more cherished then she did at this moment.

  Inuyasha sighed.  As content as he was to stay just like this forever, there were a few things they still needed to discuss.  Gathering Kagome up, he leaped back to their previous position in the tree.  _We need to figure out where we go from here.  Do I stay here or will she come home with me?  Will the well work after we go back through?  Will she agree to be my mate?_

_   :  May I make a few suggestions?:  _ The voice of the Weaver echoed in both their minds.  Unknown to Inuyasha, Kagome had been having similar thoughts and Fate had decided to intervene one last time.  _:  I would let Kagome finish school, Inuyasha.  The well will remain open for as long as you need it, I will see to that.  The education that she is receiving may come in handy in the future.  It will also allow you two some time to get to know each other again.:  _There was the impression of a chuckle at the shock the two felt.  _: It will also allow you time to research the thought you had earlier, Inuyasha.  You will need time to prepare that spell and I'm sure that Kagome would like to plan a wedding.:  _The chuckling sensation again as Kagome blushed and Inuyasha looked thoughtful.

   _: You have a bright future before you.  Have faith in each other and it will always work out.  Fare you well, children.:  The voice left as it had come and left the two to think on what she had said._

  "Well," Kagome said, breaking the silence that was stretching between them.

  "Well, what?"  Inuyasha asked.  "I still don't understand this school thing, but it's obviously important to you.  Besides, you do need some time to plan the wedding."

  "Wait a minute," Kagome said in mock anger.  "Who said anything about a wedding?  And how do you know about that, anyway?"

   "Well…I…What I meant was…" he stuttered, until he saw the twinkle in her eye.  Playing along he said, "Your mom and I had a talk before you came home and she explained it to me."  His eyes widened in feigned surprise.  "I can't believe that I forgot the most important part."

   Jumping down, he placed a very confused Kagome on her feet in front of him.  Taking both of her hands in his, he stared deep into her eyes.  It was almost as if he were trying to see straight into her soul.  He evidently found what he was looking for, because he took a deep breath and then said, "Kagome, will you stay with me forever as my wife and mate?  If you will have me, I will do all that I can to ensure that you are safe and happy for as long as we both live."  Closing his eyes for a second, he took another breath and asked softly, "Will you have me?"

   Kagome was stunned.  She hadn't expected this and it left her speechless- for about three seconds.  With a delighted squeal, she threw herself into Inuyasha's arms and almost strangled him, knocking them both to the ground in the process. 

  "Should I take that as a 'yes'," he asked with a chuckle.

   "Silly puppy, as if I would have any other," she said.  Then she bestowed upon him the kiss that she had wanted a few minutes ago.  It was deep and passionate and took his breath completely away.  Inuyasha decided right then that he would never get tired of Kagome's kisses, and returned the favor in kind.  When they finally pulled apart, both were slightly out of breath and they wore identical expressions of joy.

  "You know, there is one more trial we have to face tonight," Kagome said seriously.

  "Oh, what's that?"  Inuyasha asked, not sure that he really wanted to hear the answer.

   "Telling my grandfather that there's going to be a demon in the family," she replied impishly.  "You know, he may try to banish you."

   Inuyasha looked at her in mock horror.  "Oh, no, anything but that."  Then he laughed.  "You do know that his charms don't work, right?  I mean, Souta's got more power than he does."

  "I know that and you know that, but Grandpa doesn't know that," Kagome laughed at the irritated expression on Inuyasha's face.  Grandpa was harmless and, in time, would give up on trying to get rid of Inuyasha, but it was a funny sight to see Inuyasha covered in spell scrolls.

  "Come on," he said, standing up.  He offered his hand to help Kagome up and held on to it as they headed toward the house.  "I think that your family here should be the first to know about us.  We can tell the others in the morning.  Besides," he looked at her from the corner of his eye, "it's getting late and I don't wanna hear ya bitchin' about how tired you are."

  "You jerk," she screamed.  "And just when I thought you had grown up…" she trailed off, catching the gleam in his eye.  He was teasing her!  Oh, boy was he in for it now.  Realizing that his baiting had worked, self-preservation kicked in and Inuyasha started running, laughing all the way.

   "You just wait till I catch you, Dog Boy," Kagome laughed.  "You'll regret that!  Now get back here!"

   And so taunting, laughing and chasing each other like children, Kagome and Inuyasha went to break the news to her family; meeting their Destiny with the joy they thought was lost forever; their hearts healed and souls mended.  Forever one, forever whole.

A/N:  Wow, how was that for an ending.  But wait, there's more.  There will be an epilogue, although it may not be up for a bit.  And I warn you now.  There will be some adult content in the last chapter.  Nothing worse than what you would see in an R rated movie, but some of you may be offended.  The story could easily end here, so, for those who are bothered by that kind of thing, this would be the end.  It's been real.  Last chapter should be up before too long.  Until we meet again,

Patch

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